Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it would continue requiring people to accept targeted ads as a condition of using its service, a stance that may help keep its business model largely intact despite a new European Union privacy law.&nbsp

The EU law, which takes effect next month, promises the biggest shakeup in online privacy since the birth of the internet. Companies face fines if they collect or use personal information without permission.

Facebook Deputy Chief Privacy Officer Rob Sherman said the social network would begin seeking Europeans` permission this week for a variety of ways Facebook uses their data, but he said that opting out of targeted marketing altogether would not be possible.&nbsp

"Facebook is an advertising-supported service," Sherman said in a briefing with reporters at Facebook`s headquarters.&nbsp

Facebook users will be able to limit the kinds of data that advertisers use to target their pitches, he added, but "all ads on Facebook are targeted to some extent, and that`s true for offline advertising, as well."&nbsp

Facebook, the world`s largest social media network, will use what are known as "permission screens" - pages filled with text that require pressing a button to advance - to notify and obtain approval.&nbsp

The screens will show up on the Facebook website and smartphone app in Europe this week and globally in the coming months, Sherman said.&nbsp

The screens will not give Facebook users the option to hit "decline." Instead, they will guide users to either "accept and continue" or "manage data setting," according to copies the company showed reporters on Tuesday.

"People can choose to not be on Facebook if they want," Sherman said.

Regulators, investors and privacy advocates are closely watching how Facebook plans to comply with the EU law, not only because Facebook has been embroiled in a privacy scandal but also because other companies may follow its lead in trying to limit the impact of opt-outs.&nbsp

Last month, Facebook disclosed that the personal information of millions of users, mostly in the United States, had wrongly ended up in the hands of political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, leading to U.S. congressional hearings and worldwide scrutiny of Facebook`s commitment to privacy.&nbsp

Facebook Chief Financial Officer David Wehner warned in February the company could see a drop-off in usage due to the EU law, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).&nbsp

The EU law, which takes effect next month, promises the biggest shakeup in online privacy since the birth of the internet. Companies face fines if they collect or use personal information without permission

Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it would continue requiring people to accept targeted ads as a condition of using its service, a stance that may help keep its business model largely intact despite a new European Union privacy law. The EU law, which takes effect next month, promises the biggest shakeup in online privacy since the birth of the internet. Companies face fines if they collect or use personal information without permission. Facebook Deputy Chief Privacy Officer Rob Sherman said the social network would begin seeking Europeans` permission this week for a variety of ways Facebook uses their data, but he said that opting out of targeted marketing altogether would not be possible. "Facebook is an advertising-supported service," Sherman said in a briefing with reporters at Facebook`s headquarters. Facebook users will be able to limit the kinds of data that advertisers use to target their pitches, he added, but "all ads on Facebook are targeted to some extent, and that`s true for offline advertising, as well." Facebook, the world`s largest social media network, will use what are known as "permission screens" - pages filled with text that require pressing a button to advance - to notify and obtain approval. The screens will show up on the Facebook website and smartphone app in Europe this week and globally in the coming months, Sherman said. The screens will not give Facebook users the option to hit "decline." Instead, they will guide users to either "accept and continue" or "manage data setting," according to copies the company showed reporters on Tuesday. "People can choose to not be on Facebook if they want," Sherman said. Regulators, investors and privacy advocates are closely watching how Facebook plans to comply with the EU law, not only because Facebook has been embroiled in a privacy scandal but also because other companies may follow its lead in trying to limit the impact of opt-outs. Last month, Facebook disclosed that the personal information of millions of users, mostly in the United States, had wrongly ended up in the hands of political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, leading to U.S. congressional hearings and worldwide scrutiny of Facebook`s commitment to privacy. Facebook Chief Financial Officer David Wehner warned in February the company could see a drop-off in usage due to the EU law, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Facebook says users must accept targeted ads even under new EU law

Months before it landed in a major data breach controversy, UK-based analytics firm Cambridge Analytica purportedly offered to spearhead Congress' campaign for the 2019 general elections for a 'budget' of about Rs 2.5 crore, even as the party says it never hired such services.

As per a leaked 49-page 'proposal' made in August 2017, which has now also found its way to the social media, Cambridge Analytics (CA) suggested using Facebook data for "influencing the voter intention".

When contacted, Congress' in-charge of data analytics department, Praveen Chakravarthy, told PTI the Congress is a big national party and receives so many proposals, but it never hired the services of CA.

"There has been no relationship or understanding with Cambridge Analytica," he said.

Asked about the document proposing the party's strategy for the 2019 polls, he said, "I have not seen any such document and am not aware of it."

Chakravarthy, who took over the data analytics department of the party recently, further said, "There is no reason for the Congress to obfuscate on this issue. The Congress party has never hired the services of Cambridge Analytica."

Following allegations over the issue from the BJP, the Congress had earlier also denied hiring the services of Cambridge Analytica, which is currently in the midst of a major row over a major user data leak at Facebook including of lakhs of Indians.

The proposal was allegedly made by CA's former CEO Alexander Nix, who was suspended after the Facebook scandal broke out last month and is facing a probe in the UK.

In the 'proposal' document -- Data-Driven Campaign - the path to the 2019 Lok Sabha -- CA had proposed a detailed strategy for the 2019 elections and the assembly polls in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The document also highlighted the key points the Congress should focus on during its campaign and gave an "indicative budget" of USD 389,460 (about Rs 2.53 crore).

The proposal said the Congress had an opportunity to synthesise the party's liberatory grassroots heritage with a 'refreshed and bold vision for the future'.&nbsp;

"It (Congress) must quickly be perceived as the anti-thesis of corruption and the embodiment of effective governance and economic emancipation. Key to this is a robust understanding of the electorate and an equally robust strategy to communicate with them in accordance with contemporary attitudes, grievances and motivations that are uniquely to 21st century digital data," the proposal said.

CA further said the proposal was being made at a time when the Congress was at a major crossroads and it needs to be seen whether "it rebrands, reorganises and embraces India's new smartphone reality immediately or it struggles to survive as one of India's main political institutions".

The proposal also talked about a plan to "disrupt the BJP's current monopoly on India's 'smartphone voters' by building a world class data and digital capacity for the Congress in similar vein to what we (CA) did for the Trump campaign in 2016".

The CA proposal included a national situational analysis, including a comprehensive review of the Congress' communications activity, creation of a national data infrastructure project, a data-driven campaign for the 2019 elections and separately strategise the state assembly polls.

The analytics company had proposed to conduct an in-depth understanding of Indian people to know what they really think and feel, and what motivates and drives their behaviour and their propensity for change.&nbsp;

As per a leaked 49-page 'proposal' made in August 2017, which has now also found its way to the social media, Cambridge Analytics (CA) suggested using Facebook data for "influencing the voter intention".

Months before it landed in a major data breach controversy, UK-based analytics firm Cambridge Analytica purportedly offered to spearhead Congress' campaign for the 2019 general elections for a 'budget' of about Rs 2.5 crore, even as the party says it never hired such services. As per a leaked 49-page 'proposal' made in August 2017, which has now also found its way to the social media, Cambridge Analytics (CA) suggested using Facebook data for "influencing the voter intention". When contacted, Congress' in-charge of data analytics department, Praveen Chakravarthy, told PTI the Congress is a big national party and receives so many proposals, but it never hired the services of CA. "There has been no relationship or understanding with Cambridge Analytica," he said. Asked about the document proposing the party's strategy for the 2019 polls, he said, "I have not seen any such document and am not aware of it." Chakravarthy, who took over the data analytics department of the party recently, further said, "There is no reason for the Congress to obfuscate on this issue. The Congress party has never hired the services of Cambridge Analytica." Following allegations over the issue from the BJP, the Congress had earlier also denied hiring the services of Cambridge Analytica, which is currently in the midst of a major row over a major user data leak at Facebook including of lakhs of Indians. The proposal was allegedly made by CA's former CEO Alexander Nix, who was suspended after the Facebook scandal broke out last month and is facing a probe in the UK. In the 'proposal' document -- Data-Driven Campaign - the path to the 2019 Lok Sabha -- CA had proposed a detailed strategy for the 2019 elections and the assembly polls in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The document also highlighted the key points the Congress should focus on during its campaign and gave an "indicative budget" of USD 389,460 (about Rs 2.53 crore). The proposal said the Congress had an opportunity to synthesise the party's liberatory grassroots heritage with a 'refreshed and bold vision for the future'. "It (Congress) must quickly be perceived as the anti-thesis of corruption and the embodiment of effective governance and economic emancipation. Key to this is a robust understanding of the electorate and an equally robust strategy to communicate with them in accordance with contemporary attitudes, grievances and motivations that are uniquely to 21st century digital data," the proposal said. CA further said the proposal was being made at a time when the Congress was at a major crossroads and it needs to be seen whether "it rebrands, reorganises and embraces India's new smartphone reality immediately or it struggles to survive as one of India's main political institutions". The proposal also talked about a plan to "disrupt the BJP's current monopoly on India's 'smartphone voters' by building a world class data and digital capacity for the Congress in similar vein to what we (CA) did for the Trump campaign in 2016". The CA proposal included a national situational analysis, including a comprehensive review of the Congress' communications activity, creation of a national data infrastructure project, a data-driven campaign for the 2019 elections and separately strategise the state assembly polls. The analytics company had proposed to conduct an in-depth understanding of Indian people to know what they really think and feel, and what motivates and drives their behaviour and their propensity for change.

Will use Facebook data to influence voters: Cambridge Analytica told Congress; Party denies

Technology companies such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook will be forced to hand over users' data to European law enforcement officials even when it is stored on servers outside the bloc, under a law proposed by the EU on Tuesday.

The law would allow European prosecutors to force companies to turn over data such as emails, text messages and pictures stored online in another country, within 10 days or as little as six hours in urgent cases.

The European Union executive says the proposed law, which would apply to data stored inside and outside the bloc, is necessary because current legal procedures between countries to obtain such electronic evidence can drag on for months.

"Electronic evidence is increasingly important in criminal proceedings," said European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans.

"We cannot allow criminals and terrorists to exploit modern and electronic communication technologies to hide their criminal actions and evade justice."

Digital borders are a growing global issue in an era where big companies operate so-called cloud networks of giant data centres, which mean that an individual's data can reside anywhere.

Technology companies have found themselves torn between protecting consumers' privacy while cooperating with law enforcement. The political pressure has intensified after Islamist-inspired attacks across Europe in recent years.

The United States recently moved to address the same problem, passing a law making it clear that U. judges could issue warrants for data held abroad while giving companies an avenue to object if the request conflicts with foreign law.

Prosecutors and police will have to ask a judge to approve their request for electronic evidence where it concerns more sensitive data, such as the actual content of messages, emails, pictures and videos.

They will also be able to ask companies to ensure electronic evidence is not deleted while they prepare their so-called production order.

The proposal will apply only in cases where crimes carry a minimum jail sentence of three years. In cases of cyber crime there will be no minimum penalty requirement.

Where companies find themselves in a conflict-of-law situation because the country where data is stored forbids them from handing it over to a foreign authority, they will be able to challenge the seizure request.

However, such extraterritorial rules are fraught with complexity, legal and privacy experts warn.

In the United States, for example, certain companies are prohibited from disclosing information to foreign governments, while in Europe consumers' data privacy is strictly protected and companies are restricted in how they can transfer data outside the bloc.

"The Commission is proposing dangerous shortcuts to allow national authorities to obtain people's data directly from companies, basically turning them into judicial authorities," said Maryant Fernandez Perez, senior policy adviser at campaign group European Digital Rights.

CCIA, a tech association that includes Google and Facebook, welcomed the proposal but said it only offered a limited mechanism for addressing the risk that companies find themselves torn between two conflicting national laws.

"We welcome today’s proposals, which can help authorities obtain digital evidence more effectively and with more transparency and legal clarity," said Alexandre Roure, CCIA Europe's senior manager.

Ultimately, the Commission hopes to start talks with the United States on a deal to help law enforcement authorities to seize evidence held on each other's territories.

"We always think it's useful to have an EU-U.S. coordinated approach instead of a French-U.S. approach, a Belgian-U.S. approach because that leads to fragmentation," a Commission official said.

The European Union executive says the proposed law, which would apply to data stored inside and outside the bloc, is necessary because current legal procedures

Technology companies such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook will be forced to hand over users' data to European law enforcement officials even when it is stored on servers outside the bloc, under a law proposed by the EU on Tuesday. The law would allow European prosecutors to force companies to turn over data such as emails, text messages and pictures stored online in another country, within 10 days or as little as six hours in urgent cases. The European Union executive says the proposed law, which would apply to data stored inside and outside the bloc, is necessary because current legal procedures between countries to obtain such electronic evidence can drag on for months. "Electronic evidence is increasingly important in criminal proceedings," said European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans. "We cannot allow criminals and terrorists to exploit modern and electronic communication technologies to hide their criminal actions and evade justice." Digital borders are a growing global issue in an era where big companies operate so-called cloud networks of giant data centres, which mean that an individual's data can reside anywhere. Technology companies have found themselves torn between protecting consumers' privacy while cooperating with law enforcement. The political pressure has intensified after Islamist-inspired attacks across Europe in recent years. The United States recently moved to address the same problem, passing a law making it clear that U. judges could issue warrants for data held abroad while giving companies an avenue to object if the request conflicts with foreign law. Prosecutors and police will have to ask a judge to approve their request for electronic evidence where it concerns more sensitive data, such as the actual content of messages, emails, pictures and videos. They will also be able to ask companies to ensure electronic evidence is not deleted while they prepare their so-called production order. The proposal will apply only in cases where crimes carry a minimum jail sentence of three years. In cases of cyber crime there will be no minimum penalty requirement. Where companies find themselves in a conflict-of-law situation because the country where data is stored forbids them from handing it over to a foreign authority, they will be able to challenge the seizure request. However, such extraterritorial rules are fraught with complexity, legal and privacy experts warn. In the United States, for example, certain companies are prohibited from disclosing information to foreign governments, while in Europe consumers' data privacy is strictly protected and companies are restricted in how they can transfer data outside the bloc. "The Commission is proposing dangerous shortcuts to allow national authorities to obtain people's data directly from companies, basically turning them into judicial authorities," said Maryant Fernandez Perez, senior policy adviser at campaign group European Digital Rights. CCIA, a tech association that includes Google and Facebook, welcomed the proposal but said it only offered a limited mechanism for addressing the risk that companies find themselves torn between two conflicting national laws. "We welcome today’s proposals, which can help authorities obtain digital evidence more effectively and with more transparency and legal clarity," said Alexandre Roure, CCIA Europe's senior manager. Ultimately, the Commission hopes to start talks with the United States on a deal to help law enforcement authorities to seize evidence held on each other's territories. "We always think it's useful to have an EU-U.S. coordinated approach instead of a French-U.S. approach, a Belgian-U.S. approach because that leads to fragmentation," a Commission official said.

EU proposes law to force tech companies to give police overseas data

A US federal judge ruled on Monday that Facebook Inc&nbspmust face a class action lawsuit alleging that the social network unlawfully used a facial recognition process on photos without user permission.

The ruling adds to the privacy woes that have been mounting against Facebook for weeks, since it was disclosed that the personal information of millions of users was harvested by the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

US District Judge James Donato ruled in San Francisco federal court that a class action was the most efficient way to resolve the dispute over facial templates.

Facebook said it was reviewing the ruling. "We continue to believe the case has no merit and will defend ourselves vigorously," the company said in a statement.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs could not immediately be reached for comment.

Facebook users sued in 2015, alleging violations of an Illinois state law about the privacy of biometric information.

The class will consist of Facebook users in Illinois for whom Facebook created and stored facial recognition algorithms after June 7, 2011, Donato ruled. That is the date when Facebook launched "Tag Suggestions," a feature that suggests people to tag after a Facebook user uploads a photo.

In the US&nbspcourt system, certification of a class is typically a major hurdle that plaintiffs in proposed class actions need to overcome before reaching a possible settlement or trial.

Facebook users sued in 2015, alleging violations of an Illinois state law about the privacy of biometric information.

A US federal judge ruled on Monday that Facebook Inc&nbspmust face a class action lawsuit alleging that the social network unlawfully used a facial recognition process on photos without user permission. The ruling adds to the privacy woes that have been mounting against Facebook for weeks, since it was disclosed that the personal information of millions of users was harvested by the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. US District Judge James Donato ruled in San Francisco federal court that a class action was the most efficient way to resolve the dispute over facial templates. Facebook said it was reviewing the ruling. "We continue to believe the case has no merit and will defend ourselves vigorously," the company said in a statement. Lawyers for the plaintiffs could not immediately be reached for comment. Facebook users sued in 2015, alleging violations of an Illinois state law about the privacy of biometric information. The class will consist of Facebook users in Illinois for whom Facebook created and stored facial recognition algorithms after June 7, 2011, Donato ruled. That is the date when Facebook launched "Tag Suggestions," a feature that suggests people to tag after a Facebook user uploads a photo. In the US&nbspcourt system, certification of a class is typically a major hurdle that plaintiffs in proposed class actions need to overcome before reaching a possible settlement or trial.

Facebook must face class action lawsuit for unlawfully using facial recognition: US judge

Social networking giant Facebook is introducing a third-party fact-checking programme in India to combat the spread of "false news" on its platform, starting with a pilot in Karnataka, which goes to polls next month.

Facebook said it has partnered with BOOM, an independent digital journalism initiative certified through the International Fact-Checking Network, for a pilot in Karnataka.

Assembly elections in Karnataka will be held on May 12.

In a blogpost today, the US social networking giant said the programme in India aims "to fight the spread of false news on our platform".

BOOM will review English language news stories flagged on Facebook, check facts, and rate their accuracy, it said.

Facebook is running similar initiatives in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines and the US.

Over the last few weeks, Facebook has drawn intense criticism from users and governments globally over a number of issues, ranging from false news on the platform to information of over 80 million users being mined by data analytics and political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica.

The Indian government had also questioned both the companies on the impact of the data breach. Facebook had admitted that nearly 5.62 lakh people in India were "potentially affected" by the incident. 
Testifying before the US Congress, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had said his organisation was committed to ensure integrity of elections across the world, including India.

In its blogpost, the company said it believes that "once a story is rated as false, we have been able to reduce its distribution by 80 per cent, and thereby, improve accuracy of information on Facebook and reduce misinformation".

Facebook has already stated that it will use reports from community along with other signals to send stories to fact-checking organisations.

"We are beginning small and know it is important to learn from this test and listen to our community as we continue to update ways for people to understand what might be false news in their News Feed," it said.

Detailing out the process, Facebook said after a story is rated as false by the fact-checker, it will figure lower in News Feed, "significantly reducing its distribution".

"This in turn stops the hoax from spreading and reduces the number of people who see it. Pages and domains that repeatedly share false news will also see their distribution reduced and their ability to monetise and advertise removed," it said.

This, Facebook said, will help curb the spread of "financially motivated false news".

"We also want to empower people to decide for themselves what to read, trust, and share by providing the community with more information and control... If third-party fact-checkers write articles debunking a false news story, we'll show it in Related Articles immediately below the story in News Feed," Facebook said.

Facebook will also send people and Page administrators notifications if they try to share a story or have shared one in the past that has been determined to be false.

"While third party fact checking is part of our ongoing efforts to combat spread of false news, we are working hard to improve the accuracy of information on Facebook in various ways," it added.&nbsp

Karnataka goes to the polls on May 12. The fact-checking services will be provided by a third party

Social networking giant Facebook is introducing a third-party fact-checking programme in India to combat the spread of "false news" on its platform, starting with a pilot in Karnataka, which goes to polls next month. Facebook said it has partnered with BOOM, an independent digital journalism initiative certified through the International Fact-Checking Network, for a pilot in Karnataka. Assembly elections in Karnataka will be held on May 12. In a blogpost today, the US social networking giant said the programme in India aims "to fight the spread of false news on our platform". BOOM will review English language news stories flagged on Facebook, check facts, and rate their accuracy, it said. Facebook is running similar initiatives in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines and the US. Over the last few weeks, Facebook has drawn intense criticism from users and governments globally over a number of issues, ranging from false news on the platform to information of over 80 million users being mined by data analytics and political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica. The Indian government had also questioned both the companies on the impact of the data breach. Facebook had admitted that nearly 5.62 lakh people in India were "potentially affected" by the incident. Testifying before the US Congress, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had said his organisation was committed to ensure integrity of elections across the world, including India. In its blogpost, the company said it believes that "once a story is rated as false, we have been able to reduce its distribution by 80 per cent, and thereby, improve accuracy of information on Facebook and reduce misinformation". Facebook has already stated that it will use reports from community along with other signals to send stories to fact-checking organisations. "We are beginning small and know it is important to learn from this test and listen to our community as we continue to update ways for people to understand what might be false news in their News Feed," it said. Detailing out the process, Facebook said after a story is rated as false by the fact-checker, it will figure lower in News Feed, "significantly reducing its distribution". "This in turn stops the hoax from spreading and reduces the number of people who see it. Pages and domains that repeatedly share false news will also see their distribution reduced and their ability to monetise and advertise removed," it said. This, Facebook said, will help curb the spread of "financially motivated false news". "We also want to empower people to decide for themselves what to read, trust, and share by providing the community with more information and control... If third-party fact-checkers write articles debunking a false news story, we'll show it in Related Articles immediately below the story in News Feed," Facebook said. Facebook will also send people and Page administrators notifications if they try to share a story or have shared one in the past that has been determined to be false. "While third party fact checking is part of our ongoing efforts to combat spread of false news, we are working hard to improve the accuracy of information on Facebook in various ways," it added.

Facebook introduces fact-checking programme to fight fake news; starts pilot in Karnataka

Mark Zuckerberg testified before the US Congress last week over Facebook's data breach issue and answered around 500 question in the five-hour-long interaction.

Now, Facebook has answered some questions that perhaps the users would be unaware of. The clarification came on Monday in a post written by Facebook's product management director David Baser, who leads a team at the company that focuses on privacy and data use and the tools users can use to control and download their information.&nbsp;

Baser listed the various ways that Facebook gets data about people from other websites and apps: social plug-ins like Facebook’s “share” and “like” buttons the Facebook login, which one can use to enter into another website or app Facebook Analytics, which lets those other sites and apps better understand how folks use their services plus other tools which let sites and apps serve and measure the effectiveness of ads.&nbsp;

He informed that when a user visits a site or app that uses Facebook's services, they receive information even if the user is logged out or don’t have a Facebook account. This is because other apps and sites don’t know who is using Facebook.

Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn all have similar Like and Share buttons to help people share things on their services. Google has a popular analytics service. And Amazon, Google and Twitter all offer login features. These companies — and many others — also offer advertising services.

Apps and websites that use Facebook's services, such as the Like button or Facebook Analytics, send them information to make their content and ads better.

The website also gets information about the browser and operating system (for example Android or Windows) a user is using because not all browsers and devices support the same features. It also gets cookies, which are identifiers that websites use to know if a user has visited before. This can help with things like saving items in their shopping cart.

Baser goes on to say that Facebook uses the information it gets to provide various services to these sites or apps, including the manner in which such sites can show ads.

There are three main ways in which Facebook uses the information they get from other websites and apps: providing our services to these sites or apps improving safety and security on Facebook and enhancing our own products and services.&nbsp;

He finally mentioned how a user is in full control of their information on Facebook and be transparent about what information Facebook has and how it is used.&nbsp;

The clarification came on Monday in a post written by Facebook product management director David Baser, who leads a team at the company that focuses on privacy and data use and the tools users can use to control and download their information

Mark Zuckerberg testified before the US Congress last week over Facebook's data breach issue and answered around 500 question in the five-hour-long interaction. Now, Facebook has answered some questions that perhaps the users would be unaware of. The clarification came on Monday in a post written by Facebook's product management director David Baser, who leads a team at the company that focuses on privacy and data use and the tools users can use to control and download their information. Baser listed the various ways that Facebook gets data about people from other websites and apps: social plug-ins like Facebook’s “share” and “like” buttons the Facebook login, which one can use to enter into another website or app Facebook Analytics, which lets those other sites and apps better understand how folks use their services plus other tools which let sites and apps serve and measure the effectiveness of ads. He informed that when a user visits a site or app that uses Facebook's services, they receive information even if the user is logged out or don’t have a Facebook account. This is because other apps and sites don’t know who is using Facebook. Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn all have similar Like and Share buttons to help people share things on their services. Google has a popular analytics service. And Amazon, Google and Twitter all offer login features. These companies — and many others — also offer advertising services. Apps and websites that use Facebook's services, such as the Like button or Facebook Analytics, send them information to make their content and ads better. The website also gets information about the browser and operating system (for example Android or Windows) a user is using because not all browsers and devices support the same features. It also gets cookies, which are identifiers that websites use to know if a user has visited before. This can help with things like saving items in their shopping cart. Baser goes on to say that Facebook uses the information it gets to provide various services to these sites or apps, including the manner in which such sites can show ads. There are three main ways in which Facebook uses the information they get from other websites and apps: providing our services to these sites or apps improving safety and security on Facebook and enhancing our own products and services. He finally mentioned how a user is in full control of their information on Facebook and be transparent about what information Facebook has and how it is used.

How does Facebook collect user, non-user data? Company clarifies

Concern about Facebook&nbsp;respect for data privacy is widening to include the information it collects about non-users, after Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said the world's largest social network tracks people whether they have accounts or not.

Privacy concerns have swamped Facebook since it acknowledged last month that information about millions of users wrongly ended up in the hands of political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, a firm that has counted US President Donald Trump's 2016 electoral campaign among its clients.&nbsp;

Zuckerberg said on Wednesday under questioning by US Representative Ben Luján that, for security reasons, Facebook also collects "data of people who have not signed up for Facebook."

Lawmakers and privacy advocates immediately protested the practice, with many saying Facebook needed to develop a way for non-users to find out what the company knows about them.&nbsp;

"We've got to fix that," Representative Luján, a Democrat, told Zuckerberg, calling for such disclosure, a move that would have unclear effects on the company's ability to target ads. Zuckerberg did not respond. On Friday Facebook said it had no plans to build such a tool.

Critics said that Zuckerberg has not said enough about the extent and use of the data. "It's not clear what Facebook is doing with that information," said Chris Calabrese, vice president for policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology, a Washington advocacy group.

Cookies Everywhere

Facebook gets some data on non-users from people on its network, such as when a user uploads email addresses of friends. Other information comes from "cookies," small files stored via a browser and used by Facebook and others to track people on the internet, sometimes to target them with ads.

"This kind of data collection is fundamental to how the internet works," Facebook said in a statement to Reuters.

Asked if people could opt out, Facebook added, "There are basic things you can do to limit the use of this information for advertising, like using browser or device settings to delete cookies. This would apply to other services beyond Facebook because, as mentioned, it is standard to how the internet works."&nbsp;

Facebook often installs cookies on non-users` browsers if they visit sites with Facebook "like" and "share" buttons, whether or not a person pushes a button. Facebook said it uses browsing data to create analytics reports, including about traffic to a site.

The company said it does not use the data to target ads, except those inviting people to join Facebook.

Targeting Facebook

Advocates and lawmakers say they are singling out Facebook because of its size, rivaled outside China only by Alphabet Google, and because they allege Zuckerberg was not forthcoming about the extent and reasons for the tracking.

"He's either deliberately misunderstanding some of the questions, or he's not clear about what's actually happening inside Facebook's operation," said Daniel Kahn Gillmor, a senior staff technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union.

Zuckerberg, for instance, said the collection was done for security purposes, without explaining further or saying whether it was also used for measurement or analytics, Gillmor said, adding that Facebook had a business incentive to use the non-user data to target ads.&nbsp;

Facebook declined to comment on why Zuckerberg referred to security only.&nbsp;

Gillmor said Facebook could build databases on non-users by combining web browsing history with uploaded contacts. Facebook said on Friday that it does not do so.&nbsp;

The ACLU is pushing US lawmakers to enact broad privacy legislation including a requirement for consent prior to data collection.

The first regulatory challenge to Facebook's practices for non-users may come next month when a new European Union law, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), takes effect and requires notice and consent prior to data collection.

At a minimum, "Facebook is going to have to think about ways to structure their technology to give that proper notice," said Woodrow Hartzog, a Northeastern University professor of law and computer science.

Facebook said in its statement on Friday, "Our products and services comply with applicable law and will comply with GDPR."&nbsp;

The social network would be wise to recognize at least a right to know, said Michael Froomkin, a University of Miami law professor.

"If I'm not a Facebook user, I ought to have a right to know what data Facebook has about me," Froomkin said.&nbsp;

Facebook also collects 'data of people who have not signed up for Facebook', Zuckerberg said while being questioned in the US Congress

Concern about Facebook respect for data privacy is widening to include the information it collects about non-users, after Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said the world's largest social network tracks people whether they have accounts or not. Privacy concerns have swamped Facebook since it acknowledged last month that information about millions of users wrongly ended up in the hands of political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, a firm that has counted US President Donald Trump's 2016 electoral campaign among its clients. Zuckerberg said on Wednesday under questioning by US Representative Ben Luján that, for security reasons, Facebook also collects "data of people who have not signed up for Facebook." Lawmakers and privacy advocates immediately protested the practice, with many saying Facebook needed to develop a way for non-users to find out what the company knows about them. "We've got to fix that," Representative Luján, a Democrat, told Zuckerberg, calling for such disclosure, a move that would have unclear effects on the company's ability to target ads. Zuckerberg did not respond. On Friday Facebook said it had no plans to build such a tool. Critics said that Zuckerberg has not said enough about the extent and use of the data. "It's not clear what Facebook is doing with that information," said Chris Calabrese, vice president for policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology, a Washington advocacy group. Cookies Everywhere Facebook gets some data on non-users from people on its network, such as when a user uploads email addresses of friends. Other information comes from "cookies," small files stored via a browser and used by Facebook and others to track people on the internet, sometimes to target them with ads. "This kind of data collection is fundamental to how the internet works," Facebook said in a statement to Reuters. Asked if people could opt out, Facebook added, "There are basic things you can do to limit the use of this information for advertising, like using browser or device settings to delete cookies. This would apply to other services beyond Facebook because, as mentioned, it is standard to how the internet works." Facebook often installs cookies on non-users` browsers if they visit sites with Facebook "like" and "share" buttons, whether or not a person pushes a button. Facebook said it uses browsing data to create analytics reports, including about traffic to a site. The company said it does not use the data to target ads, except those inviting people to join Facebook. Targeting Facebook Advocates and lawmakers say they are singling out Facebook because of its size, rivaled outside China only by Alphabet Google, and because they allege Zuckerberg was not forthcoming about the extent and reasons for the tracking. "He's either deliberately misunderstanding some of the questions, or he's not clear about what's actually happening inside Facebook's operation," said Daniel Kahn Gillmor, a senior staff technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union. Zuckerberg, for instance, said the collection was done for security purposes, without explaining further or saying whether it was also used for measurement or analytics, Gillmor said, adding that Facebook had a business incentive to use the non-user data to target ads. Facebook declined to comment on why Zuckerberg referred to security only. Gillmor said Facebook could build databases on non-users by combining web browsing history with uploaded contacts. Facebook said on Friday that it does not do so. The ACLU is pushing US lawmakers to enact broad privacy legislation including a requirement for consent prior to data collection. The first regulatory challenge to Facebook's practices for non-users may come next month when a new European Union law, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), takes effect and requires notice and consent prior to data collection. At a minimum, "Facebook is going to have to think about ways to structure their technology to give that proper notice," said Woodrow Hartzog, a Northeastern University professor of law and computer science. Facebook said in its statement on Friday, "Our products and services comply with applicable law and will comply with GDPR." The social network would be wise to recognize at least a right to know, said Michael Froomkin, a University of Miami law professor. "If I'm not a Facebook user, I ought to have a right to know what data Facebook has about me," Froomkin said.

Facebook also tracks non-users, says Mark Zuckerberg

HEARING BEFORE THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE

April 11, 2018

Testimony of Mark Zuckerberg

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Facebook

I. INTRODUCTION 
&nbsp

Chairman Walden, Ranking Member Pallone, and Members of the Committee,

We face a number of important issues around privacy, safety, and democracy, and you will rightfully have some hard questions for me to answer. Before I talk about the steps we’re taking to address them, I want to talk about how we got here. Facebook is an idealistic and optimistic company. For most of our existence, we focused on all the good that connecting people can bring. As Facebook has grown, people everywhere have gotten a powerful new tool to stay connected to the people they love, make their voices heard, and build communities and businesses. Just recently, we’ve seen the #metoo movement and the March for Our Lives, organized, at least in part, on Facebook. After Hurricane Harvey, people raised more than $20 million for relief. And more than 70 million small businesses now use Facebook to grow and create jobs. But it’s clear now that we didn’t do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm as well. That goes for fake news, foreign interference in elections, and hate speech, as well as developers and data privacy. We didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. It was my mistake, and I’m sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I’m responsible for what happens here.

So now we have to go through every part of our relationship with people and make sure we’re taking a broad enough view of our responsibility. It’s not enough to just connect people, we have to make sure those connections are positive. It’s not enough to just give people a voice, we have to make sure people aren’t using it to hurt people or spread misinformation. It’s not enough to give people control of their information, we have to make sure developers they’ve given it to are protecting it too. Across the board, we have a responsibility to not just build tools, but to make sure those tools are used for good. It will take some time to work through all of the changes we need to make, but I’m committed to 
getting it right. That includes improving the way we protect people’s information and safeguard elections around the world. Here are a few key things we’re doing:

II. CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working to understand exactly what happened with Cambridge Analytica and taking steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We took important actions to prevent this from happening again today four years ago, but we also made 
mistakes, there’s more to do, and we need to step up and do it.

A. What Happened

In 2007, we launched the Facebook Platform with the vision that more apps should be social. Your calendar should be able to show your friends’ birthdays, your maps should show where your friends live, and your address book should show their pictures. To do this, we enabled 
people to log into apps and share who their friends were and some information about them In 2013, a Cambridge University researcher named Aleksandr Kogan created a personality quiz app. It was installed by around 300,000 people who agreed to share some of their Facebook 
information as well as some information from their friends whose privacy settings allowed it. Given the way our platform worked at the time this meant Kogan was able to access some information about tens of millions of their friends.

In 2014, to prevent abusive apps, we announced that we were changing the entire platform to dramatically limit the Facebook information apps could access. Most importantly, apps like Kogan’s could no longer ask for information about a person’s friends unless their friends had 
also authorized the app. We also required developers to get approval from Facebook before they could request any data beyond a user’s public profile, friend list, and email address. These actions would prevent any app like Kogan’s from being able to access as much Facebook data today.

In 2015, we learned from journalists at The Guardian that Kogan had shared data from his app with Cambridge Analytica. It is against our policies for developers to share data without people’s consent, so we immediately banned Kogan’s app from our platform, and demanded that Kogan and other entities he gave the data to, including Cambridge Analytica, formally certify that they had deleted all improperly acquired data — which they ultimately did. Last month, we learned from The Guardian, The New York Times and Channel 4 that Cambridge Analytica may not have deleted the data as they had certified. We immediately banned them from using any of our services. Cambridge Analytica claims they have already deleted the data and has agreed to a forensic audit by a firm we hired to investigate this. We’re also working with 
the UK&nbspInformation Commissioner’s Office, which has jurisdiction over Cambridge Analytica, as it completes its investigation into what happened.

B. What We Are Doing

We have a responsibility to make sure what happened with Kogan and Cambridge Analytica doesn’t happen again. Here are some of the steps we’re taking:

<ul>
	<li>Safeguarding our platform. We need to make sure that developers like Kogan who got access to a lot of information in the past can’t get access to as much information going forward.We made some big changes to the Facebook platform in 2014 to dramatically restrict the amount of data that developers can access and to proactively review the apps on our platform. This makes it so a developer today can’t do what Kogan did years ago.</li>
	<li>But there’s more we can do here to limit the information developers can access. and put more safeguards in place to prevent abuse.</li>
</ul>

We’re removing developers’ access to your data if you haven’t used their app in three months.

We’re reducing the data you give an app when you approve it to only your name, profile photo, and email address. That’s a lot less than apps can get on any other major app platform.

We’re requiring developers to not only get approval but also to sign a contract that imposes strict requirements in order to ask anyone for access to their posts or other private data.

We’re restricting more APIs like groups and events. You should be able to sign into apps and share your public information easily, but anything that might also share other people’s information — like other posts in groups you’re in or other people going to events you’re going to — will be much more restricted. Two weeks ago, we found out that a feature that lets you look someone up by their phone number and email was abused. This feature is useful in cases where people have the same name, but it was abused to link people’s public Facebook information to a phone number they already had. When we found out about the abuse, we shut this feature down.

<ul>
	<li>Investigating other apps. We’re in the process of investigating every app that had access to a large amount of information before we locked down our platform in 2014. If we detect suspicious activity, we’ll do a full forensic audit. And if we find that someone is improperly using data, we’ll ban them and tell everyone affected.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp

<ul>
	<li>Building better controls. Finally, we’re making it easier to understand which apps you’ve allowed to access your data. This week we started showing everyone a list of the apps you’ve used and an easy way to revoke their permissions to your data. You can already do this in your privacy settings, but we’re going to put it at the top of News Feed to make sure everyone sees it. And we also told everyone whose Facebook information may have been shared with Cambridge Analytica. Beyond the steps we had already taken in 2014, I believe these are the next steps we must take to continue to secure our platform.</li>
</ul>

 
III. RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE

Facebook’s mission is about giving people a voice and bringing people closer together. Those are deeply democratic values and we’re proud of them. I don’t want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy. That’s not what we stand for. We were too slow to spot and respond to Russian interference, and we’re working hard to get better. Our sophistication in handling these threats is growing and improving quickly. We will continue working with the government to understand the full extent of Russian interference, and we will do our part not only to ensure the integrity of free and fair elections around the world, but also to give everyone a voice and to be a force for good in democracy everywhere.

A. What Happened

Elections have always been especially sensitive times for our security team, and the 2016 US&nbsppresidential election was no exception. Our security team has been aware of traditional Russian cyber threats — like hacking and malware — for years. Leading up to Election Day in November 2016, we detected and dealt with several threats with ties to Russia. This included activity by a group called APT28, that the US government has publicly linked to Russian military intelligence services. But while our primary focus was on traditional threats, we also saw some new behavior in the summer of 2016 when APT28-related accounts, under the banner of DC Leaks, created fake personas that were used to seed stolen information to journalists. We shut these accounts down for violating our policies.

After the election, we continued to investigate and learn more about these new threats. What we found was that bad actors had used coordinated networks of fake accounts to interfere in the election: promoting or attacking specific candidates and causes, creating distrust in political institutions, or simply spreading confusion. Some of these bad actors also used our ads tools. We also learned about a disinformation campaign run by the Internet Research Agency (IRA) — a Russian agency that has repeatedly acted deceptively and tried to manipulate people in the US, Europe, and Russia. We found about 470 accounts and pages linked to the IRA, which generated around 80,000 Facebook posts over about a two-year period. Our best estimate is that approximately 126 million people may have been served content from a Facebook Page associated with the IRA at some point during that period. On Instagram, where our data on reach is not as complete, we found about 120,000 pieces of content, and estimate that an additional 20 million people were likely served it. Over the same period, the IRA also spent approximately $100,000 on more than 3,000 ads on&nbspFacebook and Instagram, which were seen by an estimated 11 million people in the United States. We shut down these IRA accounts in August 2017.

B. What We Are Doing 
&nbsp

There’s no question that we should have spotted Russian interference earlier, and we’re working hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Our actions include: 
&nbsp

<ul>
	<li>Building new technology to prevent abuse. Since 2016, we have improved our techniques to prevent nation states from interfering in foreign elections, and we’ve built more advanced AI tools to remove fake accounts more generally. There have been a number of important elections since then where these new tools have been successfully deployed.</li>
</ul>

For example:

In France, leading up to the presidential election in 2017, we found and took down 30,000 fake accounts.

In Germany, before the 2017 elections, we worked directly with the election commission to learn from them about the threats they saw and to share information.

In the US&nbspSenate Alabama special election last year, we deployed new AI tools that proactively detected and removed fake accounts from Macedonia trying to spread misinformation.

We have disabled thousands of accounts tied to organized, financially motivated fake news spammers. These investigations have been used to improve our automated systems that find fake accounts.

Last week, we took down more than 270 additional pages and accounts operated by the IRA and used to target people in Russia and Russian speakers in countries like Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Some of the pages we removed belong to Russian news organizations that we determined were controlled by the IRA. 
&nbsp

<ul>
	<li>Significantly increasing our investment in security. We now have about 15,000 people working on security and content review. We’ll have more than 20,000 by the end of this year.</li>
</ul>

I’ve directed our teams to invest so much in security — on top of the other investments we’re making — that it will significantly impact our profitability going forward. But I want to be clear about what our priority is: protecting our community is more important than maximizing our profits.

<ul>
	<li>Strengthening our advertising policies. We know some Members of Congress are exploring ways to increase transparency around political or issue advertising, and we’re happy to keep working with Congress on that. But we aren’t waiting for legislation to act.&nbsp</li>
</ul>

From now on, every advertiser who wants to run political or issue ads will need to be authorized. To get authorized, advertisers will need to confirm their identity and location. Any advertiser who doesn’t pass will be prohibited from running political or issue ads. We will also label them and advertisers will have to show you who paid for them. We’re starting this in the US&nbspand expanding to the rest of the world in the coming months.

For even greater political ads transparency, we have also built a tool that lets anyone see all of the ads a page is running. We’re testing this in Canada now and we’ll launch it globally this summer. We’re also creating a searchable archive of past political ads.

We will also require people who manage large pages to be verified as well. This will make it much harder for people to run pages using fake accounts, or to grow virally and spread misinformation or divisive content that way.

In order to require verification for all of these pages and advertisers, we will hire thousands of more people. We’re committed to getting this done in time for the critical months before the 2018 elections in the US&nbspas well as elections in Mexico, Brazil, India, Pakistan and elsewhere in the next year.

These steps by themselves won’t stop all people trying to game the system. But they will make it a lot harder for anyone to do what the Russians did during the 2016 election and use fake accounts and pages to run ads. Election interference is a problem that’s bigger than any one platform, and that’s why we support the

Honest Ads Act. This will help raise the bar for all political advertising online.

<ul>
	<li>Sharing information. We’ve been working with other technology companies to share information about threats, and we’re also cooperating with the US&nbspand foreign governments on election integrity. At the same time, it’s also important not to lose sight of the more straightforward and larger ways Facebook plays a role in elections. In 2016, people had billions of interactions and open discussions on Facebook that may never have happened offline. Candidates had direct channels to communicate with tens of millions of citizens. Campaigns spent tens of millions of dollars organizing and advertising online to get their messages out further. And we organized “get out the vote” efforts that helped more than 2 million people register to vote who might not have voted otherwise. Security — including around elections — isn’t a problem you ever fully solve. Organizations like the IRA are sophisticated adversaries who are constantly evolving, but we’ll keep improving our techniques to stay ahead. And we’ll also keep building tools to help more people make their voices heard in the democratic process.</li>
</ul>

 
IV. CONCLUSION 
&nbsp

My top priority has always been our social mission of connecting people, building community and bringing the world closer together. Advertisers and developers will never take priority over that as long as I’m running Facebook. I started Facebook when I was in college. We’ve come a long way since then. We now serve more than 2 billion people around the world, and every day, people use our services to stay connected with the people that matter to them most. I believe deeply in what we’re doing. And when we address these challenges, I know we’ll look back and view helping people connect and giving more people a voice as a positive force in the world. I realize the issues we’re talking about today aren’t just issues for Facebook and our community — they’re challenges for all of us as Americans. Thank you for having me here 
today, and I’m ready to take your questions.

A full transcript of Mark Zuckerberg's testimony hearing before the United States of Representatives over Facebook data breach row

HEARING BEFORE THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE April 11, 2018 Testimony of Mark Zuckerberg Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Facebook I. INTRODUCTION Chairman Walden, Ranking Member Pallone, and Members of the Committee, We face a number of important issues around privacy, safety, and democracy, and you will rightfully have some hard questions for me to answer. Before I talk about the steps we’re taking to address them, I want to talk about how we got here. Facebook is an idealistic and optimistic company. For most of our existence, we focused on all the good that connecting people can bring. As Facebook has grown, people everywhere have gotten a powerful new tool to stay connected to the people they love, make their voices heard, and build communities and businesses. Just recently, we’ve seen the #metoo movement and the March for Our Lives, organized, at least in part, on Facebook. After Hurricane Harvey, people raised more than $20 million for relief. And more than 70 million small businesses now use Facebook to grow and create jobs. But it’s clear now that we didn’t do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm as well. That goes for fake news, foreign interference in elections, and hate speech, as well as developers and data privacy. We didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. It was my mistake, and I’m sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I’m responsible for what happens here. So now we have to go through every part of our relationship with people and make sure we’re taking a broad enough view of our responsibility. It’s not enough to just connect people, we have to make sure those connections are positive. It’s not enough to just give people a voice, we have to make sure people aren’t using it to hurt people or spread misinformation. It’s not enough to give people control of their information, we have to make sure developers they’ve given it to are protecting it too. Across the board, we have a responsibility to not just build tools, but to make sure those tools are used for good. It will take some time to work through all of the changes we need to make, but I’m committed to getting it right. That includes improving the way we protect people’s information and safeguard elections around the world. Here are a few key things we’re doing: II. CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working to understand exactly what happened with Cambridge Analytica and taking steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We took important actions to prevent this from happening again today four years ago, but we also made mistakes, there’s more to do, and we need to step up and do it. A. What Happened In 2007, we launched the Facebook Platform with the vision that more apps should be social. Your calendar should be able to show your friends’ birthdays, your maps should show where your friends live, and your address book should show their pictures. To do this, we enabled people to log into apps and share who their friends were and some information about them In 2013, a Cambridge University researcher named Aleksandr Kogan created a personality quiz app. It was installed by around 300,000 people who agreed to share some of their Facebook information as well as some information from their friends whose privacy settings allowed it. Given the way our platform worked at the time this meant Kogan was able to access some information about tens of millions of their friends. In 2014, to prevent abusive apps, we announced that we were changing the entire platform to dramatically limit the Facebook information apps could access. Most importantly, apps like Kogan’s could no longer ask for information about a person’s friends unless their friends had also authorized the app. We also required developers to get approval from Facebook before they could request any data beyond a user’s public profile, friend list, and email address. These actions would prevent any app like Kogan’s from being able to access as much Facebook data today. In 2015, we learned from journalists at The Guardian that Kogan had shared data from his app with Cambridge Analytica. It is against our policies for developers to share data without people’s consent, so we immediately banned Kogan’s app from our platform, and demanded that Kogan and other entities he gave the data to, including Cambridge Analytica, formally certify that they had deleted all improperly acquired data — which they ultimately did. Last month, we learned from The Guardian, The New York Times and Channel 4 that Cambridge Analytica may not have deleted the data as they had certified. We immediately banned them from using any of our services. Cambridge Analytica claims they have already deleted the data and has agreed to a forensic audit by a firm we hired to investigate this. We’re also working with the UK&nbspInformation Commissioner’s Office, which has jurisdiction over Cambridge Analytica, as it completes its investigation into what happened. B. What We Are Doing We have a responsibility to make sure what happened with Kogan and Cambridge Analytica doesn’t happen again. Here are some of the steps we’re taking: Safeguarding our platform. We need to make sure that developers like Kogan who got access to a lot of information in the past can’t get access to as much information going forward.We made some big changes to the Facebook platform in 2014 to dramatically restrict the amount of data that developers can access and to proactively review the apps on our platform. This makes it so a developer today can’t do what Kogan did years ago. But there’s more we can do here to limit the information developers can access. and put more safeguards in place to prevent abuse. We’re removing developers’ access to your data if you haven’t used their app in three months. We’re reducing the data you give an app when you approve it to only your name, profile photo, and email address. That’s a lot less than apps can get on any other major app platform. We’re requiring developers to not only get approval but also to sign a contract that imposes strict requirements in order to ask anyone for access to their posts or other private data. We’re restricting more APIs like groups and events. You should be able to sign into apps and share your public information easily, but anything that might also share other people’s information — like other posts in groups you’re in or other people going to events you’re going to — will be much more restricted. Two weeks ago, we found out that a feature that lets you look someone up by their phone number and email was abused. This feature is useful in cases where people have the same name, but it was abused to link people’s public Facebook information to a phone number they already had. When we found out about the abuse, we shut this feature down. Investigating other apps. We’re in the process of investigating every app that had access to a large amount of information before we locked down our platform in 2014. If we detect suspicious activity, we’ll do a full forensic audit. And if we find that someone is improperly using data, we’ll ban them and tell everyone affected. Building better controls. Finally, we’re making it easier to understand which apps you’ve allowed to access your data. This week we started showing everyone a list of the apps you’ve used and an easy way to revoke their permissions to your data. You can already do this in your privacy settings, but we’re going to put it at the top of News Feed to make sure everyone sees it. And we also told everyone whose Facebook information may have been shared with Cambridge Analytica. Beyond the steps we had already taken in 2014, I believe these are the next steps we must take to continue to secure our platform. III. RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE Facebook’s mission is about giving people a voice and bringing people closer together. Those are deeply democratic values and we’re proud of them. I don’t want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy. That’s not what we stand for. We were too slow to spot and respond to Russian interference, and we’re working hard to get better. Our sophistication in handling these threats is growing and improving quickly. We will continue working with the government to understand the full extent of Russian interference, and we will do our part not only to ensure the integrity of free and fair elections around the world, but also to give everyone a voice and to be a force for good in democracy everywhere. A. What Happened Elections have always been especially sensitive times for our security team, and the 2016 US&nbsppresidential election was no exception. Our security team has been aware of traditional Russian cyber threats — like hacking and malware — for years. Leading up to Election Day in November 2016, we detected and dealt with several threats with ties to Russia. This included activity by a group called APT28, that the US government has publicly linked to Russian military intelligence services. But while our primary focus was on traditional threats, we also saw some new behavior in the summer of 2016 when APT28-related accounts, under the banner of DC Leaks, created fake personas that were used to seed stolen information to journalists. We shut these accounts down for violating our policies. After the election, we continued to investigate and learn more about these new threats. What we found was that bad actors had used coordinated networks of fake accounts to interfere in the election: promoting or attacking specific candidates and causes, creating distrust in political institutions, or simply spreading confusion. Some of these bad actors also used our ads tools. We also learned about a disinformation campaign run by the Internet Research Agency (IRA) — a Russian agency that has repeatedly acted deceptively and tried to manipulate people in the US, Europe, and Russia. We found about 470 accounts and pages linked to the IRA, which generated around 80,000 Facebook posts over about a two-year period. Our best estimate is that approximately 126 million people may have been served content from a Facebook Page associated with the IRA at some point during that period. On Instagram, where our data on reach is not as complete, we found about 120,000 pieces of content, and estimate that an additional 20 million people were likely served it. Over the same period, the IRA also spent approximately $100,000 on more than 3,000 ads on&nbspFacebook and Instagram, which were seen by an estimated 11 million people in the United States. We shut down these IRA accounts in August 2017. B. What We Are Doing There’s no question that we should have spotted Russian interference earlier, and we’re working hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Our actions include: Building new technology to prevent abuse. Since 2016, we have improved our techniques to prevent nation states from interfering in foreign elections, and we’ve built more advanced AI tools to remove fake accounts more generally. There have been a number of important elections since then where these new tools have been successfully deployed. For example: In France, leading up to the presidential election in 2017, we found and took down 30,000 fake accounts. In Germany, before the 2017 elections, we worked directly with the election commission to learn from them about the threats they saw and to share information. In the US&nbspSenate Alabama special election last year, we deployed new AI tools that proactively detected and removed fake accounts from Macedonia trying to spread misinformation. We have disabled thousands of accounts tied to organized, financially motivated fake news spammers. These investigations have been used to improve our automated systems that find fake accounts. Last week, we took down more than 270 additional pages and accounts operated by the IRA and used to target people in Russia and Russian speakers in countries like Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Some of the pages we removed belong to Russian news organizations that we determined were controlled by the IRA. Significantly increasing our investment in security. We now have about 15,000 people working on security and content review. We’ll have more than 20,000 by the end of this year. I’ve directed our teams to invest so much in security — on top of the other investments we’re making — that it will significantly impact our profitability going forward. But I want to be clear about what our priority is: protecting our community is more important than maximizing our profits. Strengthening our advertising policies. We know some Members of Congress are exploring ways to increase transparency around political or issue advertising, and we’re happy to keep working with Congress on that. But we aren’t waiting for legislation to act. From now on, every advertiser who wants to run political or issue ads will need to be authorized. To get authorized, advertisers will need to confirm their identity and location. Any advertiser who doesn’t pass will be prohibited from running political or issue ads. We will also label them and advertisers will have to show you who paid for them. We’re starting this in the US&nbspand expanding to the rest of the world in the coming months. For even greater political ads transparency, we have also built a tool that lets anyone see all of the ads a page is running. We’re testing this in Canada now and we’ll launch it globally this summer. We’re also creating a searchable archive of past political ads. We will also require people who manage large pages to be verified as well. This will make it much harder for people to run pages using fake accounts, or to grow virally and spread misinformation or divisive content that way. In order to require verification for all of these pages and advertisers, we will hire thousands of more people. We’re committed to getting this done in time for the critical months before the 2018 elections in the US&nbspas well as elections in Mexico, Brazil, India, Pakistan and elsewhere in the next year. These steps by themselves won’t stop all people trying to game the system. But they will make it a lot harder for anyone to do what the Russians did during the 2016 election and use fake accounts and pages to run ads. Election interference is a problem that’s bigger than any one platform, and that’s why we support the Honest Ads Act. This will help raise the bar for all political advertising online. Sharing information. We’ve been working with other technology companies to share information about threats, and we’re also cooperating with the US&nbspand foreign governments on election integrity. At the same time, it’s also important not to lose sight of the more straightforward and larger ways Facebook plays a role in elections. In 2016, people had billions of interactions and open discussions on Facebook that may never have happened offline. Candidates had direct channels to communicate with tens of millions of citizens. Campaigns spent tens of millions of dollars organizing and advertising online to get their messages out further. And we organized “get out the vote” efforts that helped more than 2 million people register to vote who might not have voted otherwise. Security — including around elections — isn’t a problem you ever fully solve. Organizations like the IRA are sophisticated adversaries who are constantly evolving, but we’ll keep improving our techniques to stay ahead. And we’ll also keep building tools to help more people make their voices heard in the democratic process. IV. CONCLUSION My top priority has always been our social mission of connecting people, building community and bringing the world closer together. Advertisers and developers will never take priority over that as long as I’m running Facebook. I started Facebook when I was in college. We’ve come a long way since then. We now serve more than 2 billion people around the world, and every day, people use our services to stay connected with the people that matter to them most. I believe deeply in what we’re doing. And when we address these challenges, I know we’ll look back and view helping people connect and giving more people a voice as a positive force in the world. I realize the issues we’re talking about today aren’t just issues for Facebook and our community — they’re challenges for all of us as Americans. Thank you for having me here today, and I’m ready to take your questions.

Mark Zuckerberg testimony before US Congress: Read full text of day 2

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg fielded 10 hours of questions over two days from nearly 100 US lawmakers and emerged largely unscathed and considerably richer.

He parried questions of how much control people have over their data on the world's largest social media network without a major gaffe, while avoiding being cornered into supporting new government regulation.

The hearings that ended on Wednesday revealed no consensus among US lawmakers about what kind of privacy legislation they might want to pursue, if any, and no timeline for action. As he did on Tuesday before a Senate hearing, Zuckerberg refused during a House of Representatives committee hearing to make any promises to support new legislation or change how the social network does business.

"It is inevitable that there will need to be some regulation" of internet firms, Zuckerberg said, but he avoided any specifics.

Although Zuckerberg, 33, had never testified at a Congressional hearing before, he succeeded in deflecting questions like a Washington veteran. Forty times the internet mogul told lawmakers he had no answers at hand and would get back to them later. About one in three lawmakers got that response over the two days.

Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell expressed frustration with Zuckerberg's frequent promises to get back to lawmakers later in writing. "Some things are striking during this conversation," she said. "As CEO, you didn't know some key facts."

On one point, Zuckerberg undercut his consistent message that Facebook users have control of their data. He said he was among the nearly 87 million people whose personal information was improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. He gave no further details.

His admission that even the company's tech-savvy founder was unable to protect his own data underscored the problem Facebook has in persuading sceptical lawmakers that users can easily safeguard their own information and that further legislation governing Facebook is unnecessary.

The Cambridge Analytica issue was the reason Zuckerberg was on Capitol Hill, answering questions about how that company - which has counted U.S. President Donald Trump's election campaign among its clients - got hold of data about Facebook users.

"How can consumers have control over their data when Facebook does not have control over the data?" asked Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, at the beginning of Wednesday's hearing.

Zuckerberg said it would take "many months" to complete an audit of other apps that might also have improperly gathered or shared users' data.

"I do imagine that we will find some apps that were either doing something suspicious or misusing people's data," he said.

INEVITABLE REGULATION?

<img alt="facebook-testimony-reuters_0.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/facebook-testimony-reuters_0.jpg" width="770" />

A senator holds up his phone displaying a fake Facebook profile during the Congressional hearing. (Reuters)

Zuckerberg was unable to answer Dingell, the Michigan Congresswoman, when she asked how frequently Facebook used computer code embedded in websites to gather dossiers on virtually everyone online.

In a series of questions on how people can remove data from Facebook, Zuckerberg said the company does "collect data on people who are not signed up for Facebook, for security purposes." He had no response when asked how a non-Facebook member could remove information without signing up for the service.

He also said he was not familiar with what various media reports call "shadow profiles," collections of data assembled on Facebook users that they have no knowledge of or control over.

Wearing a dark suit and tie and politely prefacing almost every remark with "Congressman" or "Congresswoman," Zuckerberg appeared even more controlled than he did on Tuesday when he testified before senators. He refrained from cracking jokes and flashed few smiles.

The performance had favourable results. Facebook shares closed up 0.78 percent on Wednesday after rising 4.5 percent Tuesday. Over the two days, the value of Zuckerberg's stake in the company grew about $3 billion.

Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Greg Walden, told reporters he would talk with committee members about holding similar hearings with other technology chief executives. He did not name specific companies.

"This is a wake-up call to Silicon Valley and the tech community that if you let these things get out of hand, having grown up in a very lightly regulated environment, you could end up with a lot more regulation than you seek," he said after the hearing.

Many Democrats disagreed, saying their Republican colleagues held no genuine interest in having a meaningful debate that could lead to a regulatory overhaul of how technology firms handle data.

What remained as the dust settled on Wednesday was an inability to translate bipartisan concern into regulation due to the complexity of regulating technology issues and the powerful lobbying forces assembled against any effort to do so.

"If you think it is hard to pass a bill that affects a lobbyist's favourite client," said Alvaro Bedoya, a former Congressional aide who worked on privacy issues for former Senator Al Franken, "try passing a bill that affects all of them."

Although Zuckerberg, 33, had never testified at a congressional hearing before, he succeeded in deflecting questions like a Washington veteran.

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg fielded 10 hours of questions over two days from nearly 100 US lawmakers and emerged largely unscathed and considerably richer. He parried questions of how much control people have over their data on the world's largest social media network without a major gaffe, while avoiding being cornered into supporting new government regulation. The hearings that ended on Wednesday revealed no consensus among US lawmakers about what kind of privacy legislation they might want to pursue, if any, and no timeline for action. As he did on Tuesday before a Senate hearing, Zuckerberg refused during a House of Representatives committee hearing to make any promises to support new legislation or change how the social network does business. "It is inevitable that there will need to be some regulation" of internet firms, Zuckerberg said, but he avoided any specifics. Although Zuckerberg, 33, had never testified at a Congressional hearing before, he succeeded in deflecting questions like a Washington veteran. Forty times the internet mogul told lawmakers he had no answers at hand and would get back to them later. About one in three lawmakers got that response over the two days. Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell expressed frustration with Zuckerberg's frequent promises to get back to lawmakers later in writing. "Some things are striking during this conversation," she said. "As CEO, you didn't know some key facts." On one point, Zuckerberg undercut his consistent message that Facebook users have control of their data. He said he was among the nearly 87 million people whose personal information was improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. He gave no further details. His admission that even the company's tech-savvy founder was unable to protect his own data underscored the problem Facebook has in persuading sceptical lawmakers that users can easily safeguard their own information and that further legislation governing Facebook is unnecessary. The Cambridge Analytica issue was the reason Zuckerberg was on Capitol Hill, answering questions about how that company - which has counted U.S. President Donald Trump's election campaign among its clients - got hold of data about Facebook users. "How can consumers have control over their data when Facebook does not have control over the data?" asked Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, at the beginning of Wednesday's hearing. Zuckerberg said it would take "many months" to complete an audit of other apps that might also have improperly gathered or shared users' data. "I do imagine that we will find some apps that were either doing something suspicious or misusing people's data," he said. INEVITABLE REGULATION? A senator holds up his phone displaying a fake Facebook profile during the Congressional hearing. (Reuters) Zuckerberg was unable to answer Dingell, the Michigan Congresswoman, when she asked how frequently Facebook used computer code embedded in websites to gather dossiers on virtually everyone online. In a series of questions on how people can remove data from Facebook, Zuckerberg said the company does "collect data on people who are not signed up for Facebook, for security purposes." He had no response when asked how a non-Facebook member could remove information without signing up for the service. He also said he was not familiar with what various media reports call "shadow profiles," collections of data assembled on Facebook users that they have no knowledge of or control over. Wearing a dark suit and tie and politely prefacing almost every remark with "Congressman" or "Congresswoman," Zuckerberg appeared even more controlled than he did on Tuesday when he testified before senators. He refrained from cracking jokes and flashed few smiles. The performance had favourable results. Facebook shares closed up 0.78 percent on Wednesday after rising 4.5 percent Tuesday. Over the two days, the value of Zuckerberg's stake in the company grew about $3 billion. Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Greg Walden, told reporters he would talk with committee members about holding similar hearings with other technology chief executives. He did not name specific companies. "This is a wake-up call to Silicon Valley and the tech community that if you let these things get out of hand, having grown up in a very lightly regulated environment, you could end up with a lot more regulation than you seek," he said after the hearing. Many Democrats disagreed, saying their Republican colleagues held no genuine interest in having a meaningful debate that could lead to a regulatory overhaul of how technology firms handle data. What remained as the dust settled on Wednesday was an inability to translate bipartisan concern into regulation due to the complexity of regulating technology issues and the powerful lobbying forces assembled against any effort to do so. "If you think it is hard to pass a bill that affects a lobbyist's favourite client," said Alvaro Bedoya, a former Congressional aide who worked on privacy issues for former Senator Al Franken, "try passing a bill that affects all of them."

Facebook's Zuckerberg unscathed by Congressional grilling, stock rises

Facebook CEO <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-says-his-own-data-was-shared-by-cambridge-analytica-129906">Mark Zuckerberg sat through</a> the second day of hearing with US senators answering questions on data leaks but most of the answers and questions fielded by lawmakers ended inconclusively with both sides unable to set a timeline and failing to reach a consensus over privacy legislation.

In over 10 hours of questioning over the last two days, Zuckerberg was able to deflect most questions. Forty times the Facebook chief told lawmakers he had no answers at hand and would get back to them later. About one in three lawmakers got that response over the two days.

Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell expressed frustration with Zuckerberg's frequent promises to get back to lawmakers later in writing. "Some things are striking during this conversation," she said. "As CEO, you didn't know some key facts."

During the hearing, the Facebook CEO conceded that regulation was the need of the hour.

"It is inevitable that there will need to be some regulation" of internet firms, Zuckerberg said, but he avoided any specifics.

During the hearing, the Facebook chief said he was among the nearly 87 million people whose personal information was improperly shared with political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica. He gave no further details.

"How can consumers have control over their data when Facebook does not have control over the data?" asked Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey at the beginning of Wednesday's hearing.

Zuckerberg said it would take "many months" to complete an audit of other apps that might also have improperly gathered or shared users' data.

"I do imagine that we will find some apps that were either doing something suspicious or misusing people's data," he said.

&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

In over 10 hours of questioning, Zuckerberg was able to deflect most questions

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sat through the second day of hearing with US senators answering questions on data leaks but most of the answers and questions fielded by lawmakers ended inconclusively with both sides unable to set a timeline and failing to reach a consensus over privacy legislation. In over 10 hours of questioning over the last two days, Zuckerberg was able to deflect most questions. Forty times the Facebook chief told lawmakers he had no answers at hand and would get back to them later. About one in three lawmakers got that response over the two days. Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell expressed frustration with Zuckerberg's frequent promises to get back to lawmakers later in writing. "Some things are striking during this conversation," she said. "As CEO, you didn't know some key facts." During the hearing, the Facebook CEO conceded that regulation was the need of the hour. "It is inevitable that there will need to be some regulation" of internet firms, Zuckerberg said, but he avoided any specifics. During the hearing, the Facebook chief said he was among the nearly 87 million people whose personal information was improperly shared with political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica. He gave no further details. "How can consumers have control over their data when Facebook does not have control over the data?" asked Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey at the beginning of Wednesday's hearing. Zuckerberg said it would take "many months" to complete an audit of other apps that might also have improperly gathered or shared users' data. "I do imagine that we will find some apps that were either doing something suspicious or misusing people's data," he said.

As Facebook CEO, you don't know some key facts: US lawmaker to Mark Zuckerberg

The Senators community on Capitol Hill on Tuesday heard Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's five-hour long testimony where lawmakers criticised the social network for how it exploits its users’ data and for the leak of information of&nbsp;87 million users to the research firm Cambridge Analytica. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The Senate committee exchanged a brief moment of laughter, however, when Dan Sullivan, Republican Senator from Alaska took over and spoke to Zuckerburg about the underlining issues.

Wearing a dark suit and tie instead of his typical T-shirt and jeans, Zuckerberg appeared largely unruffled as senators questioned him. Senators welcomed his performance.&nbsp;

"Mr. Zuckerberg, quite a story, right?&nbsp;Dorm room to the global behemoth that you guys are. Only in America, would you agree with that?," he asked. While interuptting as Zuckerberg spoke, Sullivan added "You couldn't do this in China, right? What you did?"&nbsp;

Zuckerberg, seeming ever-so-slightly hesitant replied "Well, senator, there are some very strong Chinese internet companies."

Sullivan, in a quirk, said "Right but, you're supposed to answer 'yes' to this question. I mean, give me a break. You're in front of a bunch of senators. The answer is yes, okay, so thank you," breaking into laughter along with the rest of the committee.

There were some other awkward moments involving top Democratic senator Dick Durbin, when he initially asked him which hotel he stayed at the night before to which Zuckerberg, after a long pause, refused to share.&nbsp;

The audience and panel of senators erupted in laughter at Zuckerberg's hesitancy to answer questions about his personal activities.

If that was not enough, Durbin then went on to ask him "If you messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you've messaged?."

But, Zuckerberg playing along with the personal question replied ""Senator, no, I would probably not choose to do that publicly here."&nbsp;

"I think that might be what this is all about," Durbin told Zuckerberg. "Your right to privacy, the limits of your right to privacy, and how much you'd give away in modern America."

Meanwhile, Facebook Inc shares posted their biggest daily gain in nearly two years on Tuesday (April 10) as Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg fended off questions from U.S. senators on how the world's largest social network might be regulated more closely.

Zuckerberg repeated apologies made on Monday for a range of problems that have beset Facebook, from data privacy to foreign attempts to influence US elections, but the 33-year-old internet mogul managed to deter any specific talk about new laws and made no new promises.

&nbsp;that you guys are. Only in America, would you agree with that?" he asked. While interrupting as Zuckerberg spoke, Sullivan added "You couldn't do this in China, right? What you did?"&nbsp;

Zuckerberg, seeming ever-so-slightly hesitant replied, "Well, senator, there are some very strong Chinese internet companies."

Sullivan, in a quirk, said "Right but, you're supposed to answer 'yes' to this question. I mean, give me a break. You're in front of a bunch of Senators. The answer is yes, okay, so thank you," breaking into laughter along with the rest of the committee.

There were some other awkward moments involving top Democratic senator Dick Durbin, when he initially asked him which hotel he stayed at the night before to which Zuckerberg, after a long pause, refused to share.&nbsp;

The audience and panel of senators erupted in laughter at Zuckerberg's hesitancy to answer questions about his personal activities.

If that was not enough, Durbin then went on to ask him "If you messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you've messaged?."

But, Zuckerberg playing along with the personal question replied: " Senator, no, I would probably not choose to do that publicly here."&nbsp;

"I think that might be what this is all about," Durbin told Zuckerberg. "Your right to privacy, the limits of your right to privacy, and how much you'd give away in modern America."

Meanwhile, Facebook Inc shares posted their biggest daily gain in nearly two years on Tuesday (April 10) as Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg fended off questions from U.S. senators on how the world's largest social network might be regulated more closely.

Zuckerberg repeated apologies made on Monday for a range of problems that have beset Facebook, from data privacy to foreign attempts to influence US elections, but the 33-year-old internet mogul managed to deter any specific talk about new laws and made no new promises.

The Senate committee exchanged a brief moment of laughter, however, when Dan Sullivan, Republican Senator from Alaska took over and spoke to Zuckerburg about the underlining issues

The Senators community on Capitol Hill on Tuesday heard Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's five-hour long testimony where lawmakers criticised the social network for how it exploits its users’ data and for the leak of information of 87 million users to the research firm Cambridge Analytica. The Senate committee exchanged a brief moment of laughter, however, when Dan Sullivan, Republican Senator from Alaska took over and spoke to Zuckerburg about the underlining issues. Wearing a dark suit and tie instead of his typical T-shirt and jeans, Zuckerberg appeared largely unruffled as senators questioned him. Senators welcomed his performance. "Mr. Zuckerberg, quite a story, right? Dorm room to the global behemoth that you guys are. Only in America, would you agree with that?," he asked. While interuptting as Zuckerberg spoke, Sullivan added "You couldn't do this in China, right? What you did?" Zuckerberg, seeming ever-so-slightly hesitant replied "Well, senator, there are some very strong Chinese internet companies." Sullivan, in a quirk, said "Right but, you're supposed to answer 'yes' to this question. I mean, give me a break. You're in front of a bunch of senators. The answer is yes, okay, so thank you," breaking into laughter along with the rest of the committee. There were some other awkward moments involving top Democratic senator Dick Durbin, when he initially asked him which hotel he stayed at the night before to which Zuckerberg, after a long pause, refused to share. The audience and panel of senators erupted in laughter at Zuckerberg's hesitancy to answer questions about his personal activities. If that was not enough, Durbin then went on to ask him "If you messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you've messaged?." But, Zuckerberg playing along with the personal question replied ""Senator, no, I would probably not choose to do that publicly here." "I think that might be what this is all about," Durbin told Zuckerberg. "Your right to privacy, the limits of your right to privacy, and how much you'd give away in modern America." Meanwhile, Facebook Inc shares posted their biggest daily gain in nearly two years on Tuesday (April 10) as Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg fended off questions from U.S. senators on how the world's largest social network might be regulated more closely. Zuckerberg repeated apologies made on Monday for a range of problems that have beset Facebook, from data privacy to foreign attempts to influence US elections, but the 33-year-old internet mogul managed to deter any specific talk about new laws and made no new promises. that you guys are. Only in America, would you agree with that?" he asked. While interrupting as Zuckerberg spoke, Sullivan added "You couldn't do this in China, right? What you did?" Zuckerberg, seeming ever-so-slightly hesitant replied, "Well, senator, there are some very strong Chinese internet companies." Sullivan, in a quirk, said "Right but, you're supposed to answer 'yes' to this question. I mean, give me a break. You're in front of a bunch of Senators. The answer is yes, okay, so thank you," breaking into laughter along with the rest of the committee. There were some other awkward moments involving top Democratic senator Dick Durbin, when he initially asked him which hotel he stayed at the night before to which Zuckerberg, after a long pause, refused to share. The audience and panel of senators erupted in laughter at Zuckerberg's hesitancy to answer questions about his personal activities. If that was not enough, Durbin then went on to ask him "If you messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you've messaged?." But, Zuckerberg playing along with the personal question replied: " Senator, no, I would probably not choose to do that publicly here." "I think that might be what this is all about," Durbin told Zuckerberg. "Your right to privacy, the limits of your right to privacy, and how much you'd give away in modern America." Meanwhile, Facebook Inc shares posted their biggest daily gain in nearly two years on Tuesday (April 10) as Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg fended off questions from U.S. senators on how the world's largest social network might be regulated more closely. Zuckerberg repeated apologies made on Monday for a range of problems that have beset Facebook, from data privacy to foreign attempts to influence US elections, but the 33-year-old internet mogul managed to deter any specific talk about new laws and made no new promises.

Watch: 'Quite a story,' says 'enamored' Republican Senator to Zuckerberg

With social media giant Facebook embroiled in data breach scandal, a quest for alternative online networking platforms is turning into reality. According to reports, Orkut's founder has announced the entry of a new social networking platform 'hello' into the Indian market.&nbsp;

Orkut Buyukkokten-led social networking platform, 'Hello', aims is to create positive, meaningful, authentic connections and sustained social engagement, Buyukkokten noted.&nbsp;

"If you look at social media today, it has isolated people instead of bringing them closer. It has become more about broadcasting than sharing. We need a fresh start. Hello is built around interest-based communities where users with same interests can connect, leading to true connections," Buyukkokten told media.

Buyukkokten-led Orkut was once a social media rage in countries like India and Brazil but was shut down in 2014 with the rise of rival networking websites like Twitter, Facebook and others.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I'm so excited to be coming to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a>! Win tickets to a special <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hello?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hello</a> event with me: <a href="https://t.co/5EjYVpgZRI">https://t.co/5EjYVpgZRI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/orkut?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#orkut</a> <a href="https://t.co/P3JEoTjMvJ">pic.twitter.com/P3JEoTjMvJ</a>
— Orkut Buyukkokten (@orkut) <a href="https://twitter.com/orkut/status/981376472777613312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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"We started in Brazil in July 2016... About 35,000 users were a part of our beta testing in the Indian market. Orkut was huge in India and I'm delighted to say hello to India once again," Buyukkokten noted.

"When a user signs up, they are asked about five things that they are passionate about and then get recommendations that are non-intrusive. We also ensure that every advertiser has a profile on hello (for greater accountability)," he said adding that no user information is shared with third-party applications.

Buyukkokten's next stop to roll out the application would likely be the US as well as countries like France and Germany.

The 'Hello' application is available in India on App Store and Google Play.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The 'Hello' application is available in India on Android App Store and Google Play

With social media giant Facebook embroiled in data breach scandal, a quest for alternative online networking platforms is turning into reality. According to reports, Orkut's founder has announced the entry of a new social networking platform 'hello' into the Indian market. Orkut Buyukkokten-led social networking platform, 'Hello', aims is to create positive, meaningful, authentic connections and sustained social engagement, Buyukkokten noted. "If you look at social media today, it has isolated people instead of bringing them closer. It has become more about broadcasting than sharing. We need a fresh start. Hello is built around interest-based communities where users with same interests can connect, leading to true connections," Buyukkokten told media. Buyukkokten-led Orkut was once a social media rage in countries like India and Brazil but was shut down in 2014 with the rise of rival networking websites like Twitter, Facebook and others. I'm so excited to be coming to #India! Win tickets to a special #hello event with me: https://t.co/5EjYVpgZRI #orkut pic.twitter.com/P3JEoTjMvJ — Orkut Buyukkokten (@orkut) April 4, 2018 × "We started in Brazil in July 2016... About 35,000 users were a part of our beta testing in the Indian market. Orkut was huge in India and I'm delighted to say hello to India once again," Buyukkokten noted. "When a user signs up, they are asked about five things that they are passionate about and then get recommendations that are non-intrusive. We also ensure that every advertiser has a profile on hello (for greater accountability)," he said adding that no user information is shared with third-party applications. Buyukkokten's next stop to roll out the application would likely be the US as well as countries like France and Germany. The 'Hello' application is available in India on App Store and Google Play. (With inputs from agencies)

Delighted to say 'Hello' to India again: Orkut founder rolls out new social networking app 

UK-based Cambridge Analytica is learnt to have denied using data of Facebook users in India even as the social media giant has admitted that 5.62 lakh people in the country were potentially affected by the data breach, according to official sources.&nbsp;

After contradictory replies from the two companies on potential data breach of Indian users, the government now plans to seek additional clarification from them, the sources said.&nbsp;

The government had sought a reply from Cambridge Analytica (CA) over data breach charges by April 7. The UK-based firm had sought additional time and is believed to have submitted its reply recently.

“Cambridge Analytica has denied using any data of Indians from Facebook. There are discrepancies when replies of CA and Facebook were matched. The government will write to both the companies for further clarification,” an official source told PTI. CA has been accused of mining personal information of millions of Facebook users illegitimately to help political campaigns and influence polls in several countries. The Indian government had sent notices to both the companies seeking detailed explanation on any possible misuse of profile data of Indians to influence their voting behaviour.

The US-based Facebook last week admitted that 5.62 lakh people in India were “potentially affected” by the global data leak, involving CA. Facebook has over 20 crore users in India. Facebook has said it is “investigating” the specific number of people whose information was accessed, including those in India and also emphasised that the CA’s use of such data did not have its consent.

Facebook had admitted that data of about 87 million people — mostly in the US — may have been improperly shared by research company GSR with CA. The UK-based firm, however, has denied the allegation saying that the company licensed data for no more than 30 million people from GSR. “Our contract with GSR stated that all data must be obtained legally, and this contract is now a matter of public record. We took legal action against GSR when we found out they had breached this contract. When Facebook contacted us to let us know the data had been improperly obtained, we immediately deleted the raw data from our file server, and began the process of searching for and removing any of its derivatives in our system,” CA said in response to Facebook’s announcement.

CA has been accused of mining personal information of millions of Facebook users illegitimately to help political campaigns and influence polls in several countries.

UK-based Cambridge Analytica is learnt to have denied using data of Facebook users in India even as the social media giant has admitted that 5.62 lakh people in the country were potentially affected by the data breach, according to official sources. After contradictory replies from the two companies on potential data breach of Indian users, the government now plans to seek additional clarification from them, the sources said. The government had sought a reply from Cambridge Analytica (CA) over data breach charges by April 7. The UK-based firm had sought additional time and is believed to have submitted its reply recently. “Cambridge Analytica has denied using any data of Indians from Facebook. There are discrepancies when replies of CA and Facebook were matched. The government will write to both the companies for further clarification,” an official source told PTI. CA has been accused of mining personal information of millions of Facebook users illegitimately to help political campaigns and influence polls in several countries. The Indian government had sent notices to both the companies seeking detailed explanation on any possible misuse of profile data of Indians to influence their voting behaviour. The US-based Facebook last week admitted that 5.62 lakh people in India were “potentially affected” by the global data leak, involving CA. Facebook has over 20 crore users in India. Facebook has said it is “investigating” the specific number of people whose information was accessed, including those in India and also emphasised that the CA’s use of such data did not have its consent. Facebook had admitted that data of about 87 million people — mostly in the US — may have been improperly shared by research company GSR with CA. The UK-based firm, however, has denied the allegation saying that the company licensed data for no more than 30 million people from GSR. “Our contract with GSR stated that all data must be obtained legally, and this contract is now a matter of public record. We took legal action against GSR when we found out they had breached this contract. When Facebook contacted us to let us know the data had been improperly obtained, we immediately deleted the raw data from our file server, and began the process of searching for and removing any of its derivatives in our system,” CA said in response to Facebook’s announcement.

Cambridge Analytica denies using data of Indians, government to seek clarification

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-&-economy/indian-economy-to-grow-at-73-per-cent-this-fiscal-76-per-cent-in-2019-20-asian-development-bank-129728'">Indian economy to grow at 7.3 </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-&-economy/indian-economy-to-grow-at-73-per-cent-this-fiscal-76-per-cent-in-2019-20-asian-development-bank-129728'">per cent</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-&-economy/indian-economy-to-grow-at-73-per-cent-this-fiscal-76-per-cent-in-2019-20-asian-development-bank-129728'"> this fiscal, 7.6 </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-&-economy/indian-economy-to-grow-at-73-per-cent-this-fiscal-76-per-cent-in-2019-20-asian-development-bank-129728'">per cent</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-&-economy/indian-economy-to-grow-at-73-per-cent-this-fiscal-76-per-cent-in-2019-20-asian-development-bank-129728'"> in 2019-20: Asian Development Bank</a>

Manila-based Asian Development Bank(ADB) today projected India's economic growth to pick up to 7.3 per cent this fiscal.

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Embattled Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg faced a US congressional committee over data leak to Cambridge Analytica on Tuesday.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with BJP lawmakers will be observing a day-long fast on Thursday in Delhi against the recent Parliment washout by the opposition parties.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-jadeja-hits-second-last-ball-six-to-give-chennai-its-2nd-win-129701">IPL 2018: Jadeja hits second last ball six to give Chennai its 2nd win</a>

Ravindra Jadeja hit a six at the second last ball of the match to give Chennai its second win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-roma-crush-barcelona-enter-semi-final-129717">Champions League: Roma crush Barcelona, enter </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-roma-crush-barcelona-enter-semi-final-129717">semi-final</a>

AS Roma made a historic comeback in the Champions League encounter against Barcelona dumping the former champions with an impressive 3-0 scoreline.

Indian economy to grow at 7.3 per cent this fiscal, 7.6 per cent in 2019-20: Asian Development Bank Manila-based Asian Development Bank(ADB) today projected India's economic growth to pick up to 7.3 per cent this fiscal. Facebook needs to do more to stop hate speech in Myanmar,' says Zuckerberg to US lawmakers Embattled Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg faced a US congressional committee over data leak to Cambridge Analytica on Tuesday. PM Modi, BJP lawmakers to fast tomorrow over Parliament 'washout' Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with BJP lawmakers will be observing a day-long fast on Thursday in Delhi against the recent Parliment washout by the opposition parties. IPL 2018: Jadeja hits second last ball six to give Chennai its 2nd win Ravindra Jadeja hit a six at the second last ball of the match to give Chennai its second win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. Champions League: Roma crush Barcelona, enter semi-final AS Roma made a historic comeback in the Champions League encounter against Barcelona dumping the former champions with an impressive 3-0 scoreline.

WION Morning News Brief,  April 11, 2018

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg accepted personal responsibility Tuesday for the leak of data on tens of millions of its users, while warning of an "arms race" against Russian disinformation during a high stakes face-to-face with US lawmakers.

In his first formal congressional appearance, the Facebook founder and chief executive sought to quell the storm over privacy and security lapses at the social media giant that have angered lawmakers and the network`s two billion users.

Under mounting pressure over the hijacking of its user data by a British political consultant, Zuckerberg reiterated his apology for the historic breach, before being grilled over how Facebook collects and protects people`s personal information.

"It was my mistake, and I`m sorry," Zuckerberg said the improper sharing of 87 million people`s information by Cambridge Analytica, a firm working for Donald Trump in 2016. "I started Facebook, I run it, and I`m responsible for what happens here."

He added that Facebook fell short in protecting the platform, noting, "That goes for fake news, foreign interference in elections, and hate speech, as well as developers and data privacy."&nbsp;

The 33-year-old CEO spoke of a constant struggle to guard against Russian manipulation of the Facebook platform to influence elections in the US and elsewhere.

"There are people in Russia whose job it is to try to exploit our systems and other internet systems and other systems as well," he said.&nbsp;

"So this is an arms race. They`re going to keep getting better and we need to invest in getting better at this too."

Zuckerberg has previously acknowledged the social network failed to do enough to prevent the spread of disinformation during the last US presidential race.

"After the 2016 election, our top priority was protecting the integrity of other elections around the world," he said.Zuckerberg said he was open to regulation, but cautioned against complex rules that might impact emerging social media firms.

"I am not the type of person who thinks all regulation is bad," he told Senator Dan Sullivan.

"I think the internet is becoming increasingly important in people`s lives and I think we need to have a full conversation about what is the right regulation."

He added that "you need to be careful (a new regulatory policy) doesn`t cement in the current companies that are winning."

Zuckerberg also revealed that Facebook is cooperating with the US special prosecutor investigating Russian interference in the 2016 vote.&nbsp;

"Our work with the special counsel is confidential. I want to make sure in an open session I don`t reveal something that`s confidential," he said.

Zuckerberg said he had personally not been contacted, and that he was not specifically aware of any subpoena of Facebook data.

"I believe there may be (a subpoena), but I know we`re working with them," he said.

Swapping his customary T-shirt for a business suit and tie, Zuckerberg appeared somber as he fielded tough questions over Cambridge Analytica`s massive data breach.

"We`ve been working to understand exactly what happened with Cambridge Analytica and taking steps to make sure this doesn`t happen again," he said in his prepared remarks.

The show of contrition was not enough for several lawmakers.

"We`ve seen the apology tours before," Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told Zuckerberg.

"And so, my reservation about your testimony today is that I don`t see how you can change your business model unless there are specific rules of the road."

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana said Facebook has failed to deliver a promised "digital utopia."

"I don`t want to regulate Facebook but by God I will," he told the CEO. "A lot of that depends on you."Dozens of protestors gathered outside Congress before the hearing wearing Zuckerberg masks and #DeleteFacebook T-shirts.

Inside the jammed hearing room, activists from the Code Pink group wore oversized glasses with the words "STOP SPYING" written on the lenses, and waved signs that read "Stop corporate lying."

Testifying was a new step forward for Zuckerberg, who started Facebook as a Harvard dropout in 2004, and built it into the world`s largest social media company worth more than $450 billion.

During questioning, Zuckerberg rejected the suggestion that the social media giant, with over two billion users worldwide, has exclusive control over its market.

"It certainly doesn`t feel like that to me," he said when asked if he thinks Facebook has a monopoly.

"The average American uses eight different apps to communicate with their friends and stay in touch with people. Ranging from texting apps to e-mail," he said.

Zuckerberg also said the company believed in an ad-supported business model but appeared to leave open the possibility of a paid version.

"There will always be a version of Facebook that is free," Zuckerberg told the hearing.

Under mounting pressure over the hijacking of its user data by a British political consultant, Zuckerberg reiterated his apology for the historic breach, before being grilled over how Facebook collects and protects people`s personal information

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg accepted personal responsibility Tuesday for the leak of data on tens of millions of its users, while warning of an "arms race" against Russian disinformation during a high stakes face-to-face with US lawmakers. In his first formal congressional appearance, the Facebook founder and chief executive sought to quell the storm over privacy and security lapses at the social media giant that have angered lawmakers and the network`s two billion users. Under mounting pressure over the hijacking of its user data by a British political consultant, Zuckerberg reiterated his apology for the historic breach, before being grilled over how Facebook collects and protects people`s personal information. "It was my mistake, and I`m sorry," Zuckerberg said the improper sharing of 87 million people`s information by Cambridge Analytica, a firm working for Donald Trump in 2016. "I started Facebook, I run it, and I`m responsible for what happens here." He added that Facebook fell short in protecting the platform, noting, "That goes for fake news, foreign interference in elections, and hate speech, as well as developers and data privacy." The 33-year-old CEO spoke of a constant struggle to guard against Russian manipulation of the Facebook platform to influence elections in the US and elsewhere. "There are people in Russia whose job it is to try to exploit our systems and other internet systems and other systems as well," he said. "So this is an arms race. They`re going to keep getting better and we need to invest in getting better at this too." Zuckerberg has previously acknowledged the social network failed to do enough to prevent the spread of disinformation during the last US presidential race. "After the 2016 election, our top priority was protecting the integrity of other elections around the world," he said.Zuckerberg said he was open to regulation, but cautioned against complex rules that might impact emerging social media firms. "I am not the type of person who thinks all regulation is bad," he told Senator Dan Sullivan. "I think the internet is becoming increasingly important in people`s lives and I think we need to have a full conversation about what is the right regulation." He added that "you need to be careful (a new regulatory policy) doesn`t cement in the current companies that are winning." Zuckerberg also revealed that Facebook is cooperating with the US special prosecutor investigating Russian interference in the 2016 vote. "Our work with the special counsel is confidential. I want to make sure in an open session I don`t reveal something that`s confidential," he said. Zuckerberg said he had personally not been contacted, and that he was not specifically aware of any subpoena of Facebook data. "I believe there may be (a subpoena), but I know we`re working with them," he said. Swapping his customary T-shirt for a business suit and tie, Zuckerberg appeared somber as he fielded tough questions over Cambridge Analytica`s massive data breach. "We`ve been working to understand exactly what happened with Cambridge Analytica and taking steps to make sure this doesn`t happen again," he said in his prepared remarks. The show of contrition was not enough for several lawmakers. "We`ve seen the apology tours before," Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told Zuckerberg. "And so, my reservation about your testimony today is that I don`t see how you can change your business model unless there are specific rules of the road." Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana said Facebook has failed to deliver a promised "digital utopia." "I don`t want to regulate Facebook but by God I will," he told the CEO. "A lot of that depends on you."Dozens of protestors gathered outside Congress before the hearing wearing Zuckerberg masks and #DeleteFacebook T-shirts. Inside the jammed hearing room, activists from the Code Pink group wore oversized glasses with the words "STOP SPYING" written on the lenses, and waved signs that read "Stop corporate lying." Testifying was a new step forward for Zuckerberg, who started Facebook as a Harvard dropout in 2004, and built it into the world`s largest social media company worth more than $450 billion. During questioning, Zuckerberg rejected the suggestion that the social media giant, with over two billion users worldwide, has exclusive control over its market. "It certainly doesn`t feel like that to me," he said when asked if he thinks Facebook has a monopoly. "The average American uses eight different apps to communicate with their friends and stay in touch with people. Ranging from texting apps to e-mail," he said. Zuckerberg also said the company believed in an ad-supported business model but appeared to leave open the possibility of a paid version. "There will always be a version of Facebook that is free," Zuckerberg told the hearing.

Facebook in 'arms race' with Russia: Mark Zuckerberg

Embattled Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg faced a US congressional committee over data leak to Cambridge Analytica on Tuesday.

The Facebook chief while apologising for the leak said his company will work harder to block hate messages on the social media site, calling the Myanmar situation a "terrible tragedy".

"What's happening in Myanmar is a terrible tragedy, and we need to do more," Zuckerberg said during a 5-hour joint hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee.

Several thousand Rohingyas have fled Myanmar, according to the UN at least 650, 5000 ethnic Rohingyas have crossed over to Bangladesh in order to save themselves from the Myanmar Army which has allegedly been carrying out mass persecution against them.

"It has ... substantively contributed to the level of acrimony and dissension and conflict ... within the public. Hate speech is certainly, of course, a part of that," the Facebook chief said, adding," As far as the Myanmar situation is concerned, social media is Facebook, and Facebook is social media."&nbsp;

The UN including the US has termed the deteriorating state of the Rohingyas in Myanmar a case of "ethnic cleansing" with several other nations openly condemning the military regime which has been unable to stop the exodus to Bangladesh with the Rohingyas fearing mass persecution in the country.

"It's hard to do it without people who speak the local language, and we need to ramp up our effort there dramatically," &nbsp;Zuckerberg said.

He said a Facebook team would also make undisclosed product changes in Myanmar and other countries where ethnic violence was a problem.

United Nations officials investigating a possible genocide in Myanmar said last month that Facebook had been a source of anti-Rohingya propaganda

Embattled Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg faced a US congressional committee over data leak to Cambridge Analytica on Tuesday. The Facebook chief while apologising for the leak said his company will work harder to block hate messages on the social media site, calling the Myanmar situation a "terrible tragedy". "What's happening in Myanmar is a terrible tragedy, and we need to do more," Zuckerberg said during a 5-hour joint hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee. Several thousand Rohingyas have fled Myanmar, according to the UN at least 650, 5000 ethnic Rohingyas have crossed over to Bangladesh in order to save themselves from the Myanmar Army which has allegedly been carrying out mass persecution against them. "It has ... substantively contributed to the level of acrimony and dissension and conflict ... within the public. Hate speech is certainly, of course, a part of that," the Facebook chief said, adding," As far as the Myanmar situation is concerned, social media is Facebook, and Facebook is social media." The UN including the US has termed the deteriorating state of the Rohingyas in Myanmar a case of "ethnic cleansing" with several other nations openly condemning the military regime which has been unable to stop the exodus to Bangladesh with the Rohingyas fearing mass persecution in the country. "It's hard to do it without people who speak the local language, and we need to ramp up our effort there dramatically," Zuckerberg said. He said a Facebook team would also make undisclosed product changes in Myanmar and other countries where ethnic violence was a problem.

'Facebook needs to do more to stop hate speech in Myanmar,' says Zuckerberg to US lawmakers

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cauvery-protest-ipl-matches-shifted-out-of-chennai-sources--129847">After Cauvery protests, all IPL matches shifted out of Chennai: Sources</a>

After days of uncertainty, Indian Premier League matches to be held in Chennai has now been shifted to another venue due to the ongoing Cauvery protest. People are protesting against the Centre's negligence for the formation of Cauvery Management Board (CMB).

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/over-hundred-killed-in-a-military-plane-crash-in-algeria-129830">257 dead in Algeria military plane crash, says official</a>

An Algerian military plane crashed on Wednesday with around &nbsp;257 people, mostly military personnel, on board. A military source told media that there were no survivors.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/watch-us-senator-has-zuckerberg-have-a-taste-of-his-own-medicine-asks-for-personal-details--129860">US senator asks for personal details, Facebook's Zuckerberg won't give them</a>

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's five-hour-long testimony before US lawmakers had him grilled to his core, but one question that had the Facebook chief foxed out of his wits was when Senator Richard J. Durbin asked him to share the details of his hotel stay from the previous night.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/aap-to-contest-rajasthan-assembly-polls-removes-kumar-vishwas-as-state-unit-incharge-129837">AAP removes Kumar Vishwas as Rajasthan in-charge, says will contest assembly polls</a>

Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has removed Kumar Vishwas as party's Rajasthan unit in-charge. Deepak Bajpai will now take over Vishwas's office. Kumar Vishwas was appointed as Rajasthan unit's in-charge last year in May.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-south-indian-film-casting-couch-telugu-actress-sri-reddy-says-producers-son-forced-her-to-have-sex-129867">Telugu actress Sri Reddy </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-south-indian-film-casting-couch-telugu-actress-sri-reddy-says-producers-son-forced-her-to-have-sex-129867">strips,</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-south-indian-film-casting-couch-telugu-actress-sri-reddy-says-producers-son-forced-her-to-have-sex-129867"> alleges Rana Daggubati's brother forced her to have sex with him</a>

Telugu actress Sri Reddy revealed last night, what could be the biggest casting couch scandal of South Indian cinema. Leaking intimate pictures of herself engaged with top South Indian film producer Abhiram Daggubati -- she claims that the latter forced her to perform sex with him in lieu of casting her in films.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

After Cauvery protests, all IPL matches shifted out of Chennai: Sources After days of uncertainty, Indian Premier League matches to be held in Chennai has now been shifted to another venue due to the ongoing Cauvery protest. People are protesting against the Centre's negligence for the formation of Cauvery Management Board (CMB). 257 dead in Algeria military plane crash, says official An Algerian military plane crashed on Wednesday with around 257 people, mostly military personnel, on board. A military source told media that there were no survivors. US senator asks for personal details, Facebook's Zuckerberg won't give them Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's five-hour-long testimony before US lawmakers had him grilled to his core, but one question that had the Facebook chief foxed out of his wits was when Senator Richard J. Durbin asked him to share the details of his hotel stay from the previous night. AAP removes Kumar Vishwas as Rajasthan in-charge, says will contest assembly polls Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has removed Kumar Vishwas as party's Rajasthan unit in-charge. Deepak Bajpai will now take over Vishwas's office. Kumar Vishwas was appointed as Rajasthan unit's in-charge last year in May. Telugu actress Sri Reddy strips, alleges Rana Daggubati's brother forced her to have sex with him Telugu actress Sri Reddy revealed last night, what could be the biggest casting couch scandal of South Indian cinema. Leaking intimate pictures of herself engaged with top South Indian film producer Abhiram Daggubati -- she claims that the latter forced her to perform sex with him in lieu of casting her in films.

News brief: Big stories of the day

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zuckerbergs-testimony-before-congress-5-questions-facebook-chief-may-face-129671">Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg</a> appeared before US lawmakers Tuesday to apologize for how his company has handled the growing furor over online privacy, to promise change, and explain the social media giant's policies.

The wide-ranging questions -- including about <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-to-accept-mistake-at-us-hearing-for-data-leak-129658">Cambridge Analytica, which used data scraped from 87 million Facebook </a>users to target political ads ahead of the 2016 US election -- put the 33-year-old billionaire under a microscope for several hours at a joint Senate committee hearing.

Here are top quotes from Zuckerberg, and some of the dozens of senators who grilled him. "We didn`t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. And it was my mistake, and I`m sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I`m responsible for what happens here."

"When we heard back from Cambridge Analytica that they had told us that they weren`t using the data and deleted it, we considered it a closed case. In retrospect, that was clearly a mistake. We shouldn`t have taken their word for it. We`ve updated our policy to make sure we don`t make that mistake again."

"It will take some time to work through all the changes we need to make across the company. I`m committed to getting this right. This includes the basic responsibility of protecting people`s information, which we failed to do with Cambridge Analytica."

"We`re investigating every single app that had access to a large amount of information in the past. And if we find that someone improperly used data, we`re going to ban them from Facebook and tell everyone affected."One of my greatest regrets in running the company is that we were slow in identifying the Russian information operations in 2016."

"There are people in Russia whose job it is to try to exploit our systems and other internet systems.... So this is an arms race. They`re going to keep getting better and we need to invest in getting better at this too."

Asked if Facebook executives have been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the US election: "Our work with the special counsel is confidential.... I actually am not aware of a subpoena. I believe there may be, but I know we`re working with them."

"I know we did help out the Trump campaign overall in sales support in the same way we do with other campaigns."There will always be a version of Facebook that is free."

"We need to take a more active view in policing the ecosystem and watching and looking out and making sure that all the members in our community are using these tools in a way that`s going to be good and healthy."

Asked if he believes the social media giant, with over two billion users worldwide, amounts to a monopoly: "It certainly doesn`t feel like that to me."Senator Dick Durbin: "Would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you stayed in last night? If you messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you`ve messaged?"

Zuckerberg: "Senator, no I would probably not choose to do that publicly here."

Durbin: "I think that may be what this is all about: your right to privacy, the limits of your right to privacy, and how much you give away in modern America in the name of connecting people around the world."Senator John Thune: "This should be a wake-up call for the tech community.... We`re listening, America is listening, and quite possibly the world is listening too."

Senator Bill Nelson: "Let me just cut to the chase. If you and other social media companies do not get your act in order, none of us are going to have any privacy anymore."

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg appeared before US lawmakers Tuesday to apologize for how his company has handled the growing furor over online privacy, to promise change, and explain the social media giant's policies

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg appeared before US lawmakers Tuesday to apologize for how his company has handled the growing furor over online privacy, to promise change, and explain the social media giant's policies. The wide-ranging questions -- including about Cambridge Analytica, which used data scraped from 87 million Facebook users to target political ads ahead of the 2016 US election -- put the 33-year-old billionaire under a microscope for several hours at a joint Senate committee hearing. Here are top quotes from Zuckerberg, and some of the dozens of senators who grilled him. "We didn`t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. And it was my mistake, and I`m sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I`m responsible for what happens here." "When we heard back from Cambridge Analytica that they had told us that they weren`t using the data and deleted it, we considered it a closed case. In retrospect, that was clearly a mistake. We shouldn`t have taken their word for it. We`ve updated our policy to make sure we don`t make that mistake again." "It will take some time to work through all the changes we need to make across the company. I`m committed to getting this right. This includes the basic responsibility of protecting people`s information, which we failed to do with Cambridge Analytica." "We`re investigating every single app that had access to a large amount of information in the past. And if we find that someone improperly used data, we`re going to ban them from Facebook and tell everyone affected."One of my greatest regrets in running the company is that we were slow in identifying the Russian information operations in 2016." "There are people in Russia whose job it is to try to exploit our systems and other internet systems.... So this is an arms race. They`re going to keep getting better and we need to invest in getting better at this too." Asked if Facebook executives have been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the US election: "Our work with the special counsel is confidential.... I actually am not aware of a subpoena. I believe there may be, but I know we`re working with them." "I know we did help out the Trump campaign overall in sales support in the same way we do with other campaigns."There will always be a version of Facebook that is free." "We need to take a more active view in policing the ecosystem and watching and looking out and making sure that all the members in our community are using these tools in a way that`s going to be good and healthy." Asked if he believes the social media giant, with over two billion users worldwide, amounts to a monopoly: "It certainly doesn`t feel like that to me."Senator Dick Durbin: "Would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you stayed in last night? If you messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you`ve messaged?" Zuckerberg: "Senator, no I would probably not choose to do that publicly here." Durbin: "I think that may be what this is all about: your right to privacy, the limits of your right to privacy, and how much you give away in modern America in the name of connecting people around the world."Senator John Thune: "This should be a wake-up call for the tech community.... We`re listening, America is listening, and quite possibly the world is listening too." Senator Bill Nelson: "Let me just cut to the chase. If you and other social media companies do not get your act in order, none of us are going to have any privacy anymore."

'I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here': Zuckerberg at joint Senate committee hearing

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's five-hour-long testimony before US lawmakers had him grilled to his core, but one question that had the Facebook chief foxed out of his wits was when Senator Richard J. Durbin asked him to share the details of his hotel stay from the previous night.&nbsp;

"Mr Zuckerberg, would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you stayed in last night?" Durbin asked.&nbsp;

"Uh, no, I would probably not," Zuckerberg replied.&nbsp;

Aptly put, Senator Durbin had Zuckerberg have a taste of his own medicine, detailing the significance and the sensitivity involved in protecting private details of a person/user.&nbsp;

"I think maybe what this is all about is your right to privacy, the limits of your privacy and how much do you give away in modern America in the name of 'connecting people around the world'," the Senator noted.&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Facebook CEO <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarkZuckerberg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarkZuckerberg</a> faces members of the U.S. Senate and grilled over data misuse — Watch here. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CambridgeAnalytics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CambridgeAnalytics</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FacebookDataLeaks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FacebookDataLeaks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FacebookHearing?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FacebookHearing</a> <a href="https://t.co/gFkNXkJbEP">pic.twitter.com/gFkNXkJbEP</a>
— WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/984023638398599168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Another question posed to Zuckerberg asked him if his company or he was too powerful.&nbsp;

Zuckerberg replied saying that most people refer to the scale of his company which has close to 2 billion users across the globe, mostly outside America, "Americans should be proud of this," he noted.&nbsp;

Zuckerberg further added that he is not a person who is against any type of regulation on the internet. "Internet is becoming an extremely integral part of people's lives. I think we need to have a full conversation about what is the right regulation," Zuckerberg noted.

mark Zuckerberg's testimony came after it was revealed in March that British firm Cambridge Analytica tied to US President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign improperly collected profile data of up to 87 million Facebook users.

The scandal shook confidence in Facebook, leading some people to go as far as abandoning the social media site altogether a revolt called the hashtag #DeleteFacebook.

Zuckerberg, who is also the CEO of Facebook, said data privacy and foreign interference in elections were topics that they have discussed at the Facebook board meeting.

"These are some of the biggest issues that the company has faced, and we feel a huge responsibility to get these right," Zuckerberg told lawmakers during the Congressional hearing, adding that "this is one of my top priorities in 2018".

'I think maybe what this is all about is your right to privacy, the limits of your privacy and how much do you give away in modern America in the name of 'connecting people around the world',' the senator said

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's five-hour-long testimony before US lawmakers had him grilled to his core, but one question that had the Facebook chief foxed out of his wits was when Senator Richard J. Durbin asked him to share the details of his hotel stay from the previous night. "Mr Zuckerberg, would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you stayed in last night?" Durbin asked. "Uh, no, I would probably not," Zuckerberg replied. Aptly put, Senator Durbin had Zuckerberg have a taste of his own medicine, detailing the significance and the sensitivity involved in protecting private details of a person/user. "I think maybe what this is all about is your right to privacy, the limits of your privacy and how much do you give away in modern America in the name of 'connecting people around the world'," the Senator noted. Facebook CEO #MarkZuckerberg faces members of the U.S. Senate and grilled over data misuse — Watch here. #CambridgeAnalytics #FacebookDataLeaks #FacebookHearing pic.twitter.com/gFkNXkJbEP — WION (@WIONews) April 11, 2018 × Another question posed to Zuckerberg asked him if his company or he was too powerful. Zuckerberg replied saying that most people refer to the scale of his company which has close to 2 billion users across the globe, mostly outside America, "Americans should be proud of this," he noted. Zuckerberg further added that he is not a person who is against any type of regulation on the internet. "Internet is becoming an extremely integral part of people's lives. I think we need to have a full conversation about what is the right regulation," Zuckerberg noted. mark Zuckerberg's testimony came after it was revealed in March that British firm Cambridge Analytica tied to US President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign improperly collected profile data of up to 87 million Facebook users. The scandal shook confidence in Facebook, leading some people to go as far as abandoning the social media site altogether a revolt called the hashtag #DeleteFacebook. Zuckerberg, who is also the CEO of Facebook, said data privacy and foreign interference in elections were topics that they have discussed at the Facebook board meeting. "These are some of the biggest issues that the company has faced, and we feel a huge responsibility to get these right," Zuckerberg told lawmakers during the Congressional hearing, adding that "this is one of my top priorities in 2018".

Watch: US senator asks for personal details, Facebook's Zuckerberg won't give them

Myanmar civil society groups on Wednesday welcomed a commitment by Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg to increase efforts to curb messages inciting violence, but urged the social media giant to deploy more resources in the Southeast Asian country.&nbsp;

Zuckerberg said on Tuesday his company would step up efforts to block hate messages in Myanmar as he faced questioning by the US&nbsp;Congress about electoral interference and hate speech on the platform.

Facebook has been accused by human rights advocates of not doing enough to weed out hate messages on its social-media network in Myanmar, where it has become a near-ubiquitous communications tool following the opening up of the economy.&nbsp;

"This is a historic commitment from Facebook to a 24-hour review time, and one we have been begging for," said Yangon-based social media analyst Victoire Rio, of Zuckerberg's commitment to remove posts that may spur violence.&nbsp;

"It is still unclear how they intend to demonstrate that they are meeting these targets...We will continue to monitor them," said Rio, who was involved in an email exchange between Zuckerberg and several Myanmar civil society groups on Facebook's effectiveness in detecting and curbing hate speech.&nbsp;

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state and crossed into Bangladesh since insurgent attacks sparked a security crackdown last August.

The United Nations and the United States described the situation as ethnic cleansing, an accusation that Myanmar denies.&nbsp;

"What's happening in Myanmar is a terrible tragedy, and we need to do more," Zuckerberg said during a 5-hour joint hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee.

United Nations officials investigating a possible genocide in Myanmar said last month that Facebook had been a source of anti-Rohingya propaganda.

Marzuki Darusman, chairman of the UN&nbsp;Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, said in March that social media had played a "determining role" in Myanmar.

"It has ... substantively contributed to the level of acrimony and dissension and conflict ... within the public. Hate speech is certainly of course a part of that. As far as the Myanmar situation is concerned, social media is Facebook, and Facebook is social media," he said.&nbsp;

Zuckerberg said Facebook was hiring dozens of more Burmese-language speakers to remove threatening content.

"It's hard to do it without people who speak the local language, and we need to ramp up our effort there dramatically," he said, adding that Facebook was also asking civil society groups to help it identify figures who should be banned from the network.

He said a Facebook team would also make undisclosed product changes in Myanmar and other countries where ethnic violence was a problem.

But Jes Petersen, chief executive of Yangon-based Phandeeyar, which helped Facebook translate its Burmese-language community standards, said Zuckerberg's commitment would not be enough for a country with nearly 30 million users.&nbsp;

"It is not even close. It will be interesting to see how Facebook meet their 24-hour commitment here - but a mammoth expansion of Burmese-speaking staff is going to be needed."

Zuckerberg said a Facebook team would also make undisclosed product changes in Myanmar

Myanmar civil society groups on Wednesday welcomed a commitment by Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg to increase efforts to curb messages inciting violence, but urged the social media giant to deploy more resources in the Southeast Asian country. Zuckerberg said on Tuesday his company would step up efforts to block hate messages in Myanmar as he faced questioning by the US Congress about electoral interference and hate speech on the platform. Facebook has been accused by human rights advocates of not doing enough to weed out hate messages on its social-media network in Myanmar, where it has become a near-ubiquitous communications tool following the opening up of the economy. "This is a historic commitment from Facebook to a 24-hour review time, and one we have been begging for," said Yangon-based social media analyst Victoire Rio, of Zuckerberg's commitment to remove posts that may spur violence. "It is still unclear how they intend to demonstrate that they are meeting these targets...We will continue to monitor them," said Rio, who was involved in an email exchange between Zuckerberg and several Myanmar civil society groups on Facebook's effectiveness in detecting and curbing hate speech. Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state and crossed into Bangladesh since insurgent attacks sparked a security crackdown last August. The United Nations and the United States described the situation as ethnic cleansing, an accusation that Myanmar denies. "What's happening in Myanmar is a terrible tragedy, and we need to do more," Zuckerberg said during a 5-hour joint hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee. United Nations officials investigating a possible genocide in Myanmar said last month that Facebook had been a source of anti-Rohingya propaganda. Marzuki Darusman, chairman of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, said in March that social media had played a "determining role" in Myanmar. "It has ... substantively contributed to the level of acrimony and dissension and conflict ... within the public. Hate speech is certainly of course a part of that. As far as the Myanmar situation is concerned, social media is Facebook, and Facebook is social media," he said. Zuckerberg said Facebook was hiring dozens of more Burmese-language speakers to remove threatening content. "It's hard to do it without people who speak the local language, and we need to ramp up our effort there dramatically," he said, adding that Facebook was also asking civil society groups to help it identify figures who should be banned from the network. He said a Facebook team would also make undisclosed product changes in Myanmar and other countries where ethnic violence was a problem. But Jes Petersen, chief executive of Yangon-based Phandeeyar, which helped Facebook translate its Burmese-language community standards, said Zuckerberg's commitment would not be enough for a country with nearly 30 million users. "It is not even close. It will be interesting to see how Facebook meet their 24-hour commitment here - but a mammoth expansion of Burmese-speaking staff is going to be needed."

Myanmar activists welcome Zuckerberg's vows to block hate speech on Facebook

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg during his congressional hearing today said he wants to ensure protection of integrity of elections, mentioning that he knows the importance of the upcoming polls in countries, including India, Hungary and Brazil.

Zuckerberg faced a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees.

He noted that there are several important elections in 2018 in countries like India, Hungary and Brazil and his company wants to ensure protection of integrity in these elections.

Zuckerberg, 33, testified before the senators and a House panel amid a firestorm over the alleged hijacking of data of millions of Facebook users by British firm Cambridge Analytica.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has disclosed his company is "working with" special counsel Robert Mueller in the federal probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign and working hard to change its own operations after the harvesting of users' private information by a Trump campaign-affiliated data-mining company.

The founder of the social media giant publicly apologized for his company's errors in failing to better protect the personal information of its millions of users, a controversy that has brought a flood of bad publicity and sent the company's stock value plunging. He seemed to achieve a measure of success: Facebook shares surged 4.5 per cent for the day, the biggest gain in two years.

Zuckerberg told the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees that he has not been personally interviewed by Mueller's team, but "I know we're working with them." He offered no details, citing a concern about confidentiality rules of the investigation.

Earlier this year Mueller charged 13 Russian individuals and three Russian companies in a plot to interfere in the 2016 presidential election through a social media propaganda effort that included online ad purchases using US aliases and politicking on U.S. soil. A number of the Russian ads were on Facebook.

During yesterday's at-times-contentious hearing, Zuckerberg said it had been "clearly a mistake" to believe the data-mining company Cambridge Analytica had deleted user data that it had harvested in an attempt to sway elections. He said Facebook had considered the data collection "a closed case" because it thought the information had been discarded.

Facebook also didn't alert the Federal Trade Commission, Zuckerberg said, and he assured senators the company would handle the situation differently today.

He began a two-day congressional inquisition with a public apology for the way Facebook handled the data-mining of its users' data. He took responsibility for failing to prevent Cambridge Analytica, which was affiliated with Donald Trump's presidential campaign, from gathering personal information from 87 million users.

Separately, the company began alerting some of its users that their data was gathered by Cambridge Analytica. A notification that appeared on Facebook for some users Tuesday told them that "one of your friends" used Facebook to log into a now-banned personality quiz app called "This Is Your Digital Life." The notice says the app misused the information, including public profiles, page likes, birthdays and current cities, by sharing it with Cambridge Analytica.

Zuckerberg had apologized many times already, to users and the public, but this was the first time before Congress. He also is to testify Wednesday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the Commerce Committee chairman, told Zuckerberg his company had a 14-year history of apologizing for "ill-advised decisions" related to user privacy. "How is today's apology different?" Thune asked.

"We have made a lot of mistakes in running the company," Zuckerberg responded. "I think it's pretty much impossible, I believe, to start a company in your dorm room and then grow it to be at the scale that we're at now without making some mistakes." Zuckerberg said Facebook is going through "a broader philosophical shift in how we approach our responsibility as a company." He said the company needs to take a "more proactive role" that includes ensuring the tools it creates are used in "good and healthy" ways.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Zuckerberg's appearance marked the most intense hearing for a tech company since entrepreneur and businessman Bill Gates testified before Congress in March 1998.

Many of the senators' questions seemed to focus on Facebook's basic functions, such as its privacy settings and what it does and doesn't do with user data. Because each of the 44 senators had just 5 minutes to ask questions, there was little time for tough follow-ups. On some subjects, that allowed Zuckerberg to tell the lawmakers that his people would get back to them with more information.

In the hearings, Zuckerberg is trying to both restore public trust in his company and stave off federal regulations that some lawmakers have floated. In his opening statement, he also apologized for his company's involvement in facilitating fake news and Russian interference in the elections.

Zuckerberg said at a congressional hearing that he knows the importance of upcoming polls in India, Hungary and Brazil

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg during his congressional hearing today said he wants to ensure protection of integrity of elections, mentioning that he knows the importance of the upcoming polls in countries, including India, Hungary and Brazil. Zuckerberg faced a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees. He noted that there are several important elections in 2018 in countries like India, Hungary and Brazil and his company wants to ensure protection of integrity in these elections. Zuckerberg, 33, testified before the senators and a House panel amid a firestorm over the alleged hijacking of data of millions of Facebook users by British firm Cambridge Analytica. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has disclosed his company is "working with" special counsel Robert Mueller in the federal probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign and working hard to change its own operations after the harvesting of users' private information by a Trump campaign-affiliated data-mining company. The founder of the social media giant publicly apologized for his company's errors in failing to better protect the personal information of its millions of users, a controversy that has brought a flood of bad publicity and sent the company's stock value plunging. He seemed to achieve a measure of success: Facebook shares surged 4.5 per cent for the day, the biggest gain in two years. Zuckerberg told the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees that he has not been personally interviewed by Mueller's team, but "I know we're working with them." He offered no details, citing a concern about confidentiality rules of the investigation. Earlier this year Mueller charged 13 Russian individuals and three Russian companies in a plot to interfere in the 2016 presidential election through a social media propaganda effort that included online ad purchases using US aliases and politicking on U.S. soil. A number of the Russian ads were on Facebook. During yesterday's at-times-contentious hearing, Zuckerberg said it had been "clearly a mistake" to believe the data-mining company Cambridge Analytica had deleted user data that it had harvested in an attempt to sway elections. He said Facebook had considered the data collection "a closed case" because it thought the information had been discarded. Facebook also didn't alert the Federal Trade Commission, Zuckerberg said, and he assured senators the company would handle the situation differently today. He began a two-day congressional inquisition with a public apology for the way Facebook handled the data-mining of its users' data. He took responsibility for failing to prevent Cambridge Analytica, which was affiliated with Donald Trump's presidential campaign, from gathering personal information from 87 million users. Separately, the company began alerting some of its users that their data was gathered by Cambridge Analytica. A notification that appeared on Facebook for some users Tuesday told them that "one of your friends" used Facebook to log into a now-banned personality quiz app called "This Is Your Digital Life." The notice says the app misused the information, including public profiles, page likes, birthdays and current cities, by sharing it with Cambridge Analytica. Zuckerberg had apologized many times already, to users and the public, but this was the first time before Congress. He also is to testify Wednesday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the Commerce Committee chairman, told Zuckerberg his company had a 14-year history of apologizing for "ill-advised decisions" related to user privacy. "How is today's apology different?" Thune asked. "We have made a lot of mistakes in running the company," Zuckerberg responded. "I think it's pretty much impossible, I believe, to start a company in your dorm room and then grow it to be at the scale that we're at now without making some mistakes." Zuckerberg said Facebook is going through "a broader philosophical shift in how we approach our responsibility as a company." He said the company needs to take a "more proactive role" that includes ensuring the tools it creates are used in "good and healthy" ways. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Zuckerberg's appearance marked the most intense hearing for a tech company since entrepreneur and businessman Bill Gates testified before Congress in March 1998. Many of the senators' questions seemed to focus on Facebook's basic functions, such as its privacy settings and what it does and doesn't do with user data. Because each of the 44 senators had just 5 minutes to ask questions, there was little time for tough follow-ups. On some subjects, that allowed Zuckerberg to tell the lawmakers that his people would get back to them with more information. In the hearings, Zuckerberg is trying to both restore public trust in his company and stave off federal regulations that some lawmakers have floated. In his opening statement, he also apologized for his company's involvement in facilitating fake news and Russian interference in the elections.

Want to ensure integrity of elections in India: Facebook's Zuckerberg

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be testifying before US lawmakers on Tuesday over data breach of user information. Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear before a joint hearing of the US Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees on Tuesday and the US House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday.

In his testimony before the Congress, Zuckerberg will attempt to blunt any possible regulatory fallout from the privacy scandal engulfing his social network.&nbsp

Besides everything, one thing that is certain is that Zuckerberg will need a considerable bracing-up for a gruelling attack from the Congressmen.

As we have our eyes set on the imminent event, here's a look at some of the probable questions Zuckerberg could be asked by the lawmakers.&nbsp

1. Should Facebook be trusted anymore?

This could be one of the most significant queries directed at the Facebook CEO. The social media giant recently surfaced as an unsafe social media platform by compromising and putting to risk the safety of personal information of millions of its users.

2. Share the extent to which user data has been compromised

The expanse of the data breach is unimaginable. According to reports, around 87 million accounts were hit with very little details on data misuse available in the public domain. Zuckerberg, most probably, would be asked to give out extensive report on the same.&nbsp

There is also little clarity on who all have access to the leaked data.&nbsp

3. What took so long for the company to act?

Reports of data breach first emerged in the year 2015, the Zuckerberg-led company took years to act on the same. Facebook CEO may have to elaborate on the same clarifying why did his company take so long to take stock of the situation.&nbsp

4. How can facebook ensure data privacy in future?

It’s not the first time when the social media giant came under fire for failing to maintain user privacy. &nbspThe recent controversy around the breach of user data has caused unimaginable damage to its users’ privacy and company's reputation. &nbsp

Zuckerberg might have to share his company's overhauled policy directed toward ensuring&nbspuser data privacy.

5. Why did Facebook not notify users more aggressively?

US lawmakers may demand Zuckerberg to clarify why exactly were the users not notified when their personal information was shared with third-party applications. The Congressmen may call for stringent, stricter regulations on Facebook asking Zuckerberg why should tougher regulations not be imposed on the company.&nbsp

Facebook recently announced that it will notify the 87 million people whose data it estimates could have been accessed by Cambridge Analytica. According to reports, Facebook could end up facing more regulations than ever before.

Zuckerberg, in his testimony, is expected to recognize a need to take responsibility and acknowledge an initial failure to understand how many people were affected.

The 33-year-old internet mogul will appear at 2:15 pm&nbsp(1815 GMT) before a joint hearing of the US Senate's Commerce and Judiciary committees on Tuesday.

Facebook came under fire in recent weeks after it said that the personal information of up to 87 million users, mostly in the United States, may have been improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

Besides everything, one thing that is certain is that Zuckerberg will need considerable bracing-up to face a gruelling attack from the Congressmen

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be testifying before US lawmakers on Tuesday over data breach of user information. Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear before a joint hearing of the US Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees on Tuesday and the US House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday. In his testimony before the Congress, Zuckerberg will attempt to blunt any possible regulatory fallout from the privacy scandal engulfing his social network. Besides everything, one thing that is certain is that Zuckerberg will need a considerable bracing-up for a gruelling attack from the Congressmen. As we have our eyes set on the imminent event, here's a look at some of the probable questions Zuckerberg could be asked by the lawmakers. 1. Should Facebook be trusted anymore? This could be one of the most significant queries directed at the Facebook CEO. The social media giant recently surfaced as an unsafe social media platform by compromising and putting to risk the safety of personal information of millions of its users. 2. Share the extent to which user data has been compromised The expanse of the data breach is unimaginable. According to reports, around 87 million accounts were hit with very little details on data misuse available in the public domain. Zuckerberg, most probably, would be asked to give out extensive report on the same. There is also little clarity on who all have access to the leaked data. 3. What took so long for the company to act? Reports of data breach first emerged in the year 2015, the Zuckerberg-led company took years to act on the same. Facebook CEO may have to elaborate on the same clarifying why did his company take so long to take stock of the situation. 4. How can facebook ensure data privacy in future? It’s not the first time when the social media giant came under fire for failing to maintain user privacy. &nbspThe recent controversy around the breach of user data has caused unimaginable damage to its users’ privacy and company's reputation. Zuckerberg might have to share his company's overhauled policy directed toward ensuring&nbspuser data privacy. 5. Why did Facebook not notify users more aggressively? US lawmakers may demand Zuckerberg to clarify why exactly were the users not notified when their personal information was shared with third-party applications. The Congressmen may call for stringent, stricter regulations on Facebook asking Zuckerberg why should tougher regulations not be imposed on the company. Facebook recently announced that it will notify the 87 million people whose data it estimates could have been accessed by Cambridge Analytica. According to reports, Facebook could end up facing more regulations than ever before. Zuckerberg, in his testimony, is expected to recognize a need to take responsibility and acknowledge an initial failure to understand how many people were affected. The 33-year-old internet mogul will appear at 2:15 pm (1815 GMT) before a joint hearing of the US Senate's Commerce and Judiciary committees on Tuesday. Facebook came under fire in recent weeks after it said that the personal information of up to 87 million users, mostly in the United States, may have been improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

Zuckerberg's testimony before Congress: 5 questions Facebook Chief may face

Among the tech leader who are&nbsp;giving up on Facebook following the data breach scandal, Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple has also left the social media platform.

The decision of leaving facebook came after the growing concerns of data security and how the social media platforms treat such personal user information for their advertising gains.

Wozniak said to the USA today in a mail that he'd rather pay Facebook than his personal information being exploited for advertising. He further praised Apple for respecting user's privacy.&nbsp;

"Apple makes its money off of good products, not off of you," Wozniak said. "As they say, with Facebook, you are the product", he said.

Facebook came under fire for mishandling user's information as the UK based data mining firm Cambridge Analytica obtained the data through illegal measures. The company has assisted Donald Trump in his 2016 presidential election.

Mark Zuckerberg had also announced that as many as 87 million Facebook user's data was compromised in the whole scandal.

Wozniak has not completely deleted his account rather he just has deactivated so the no one can take the screen name of his.

Before deactivating his account, Wozniak went through his setting was shocked to see the extent to which that data has been collected.

"I was surprised to see how many categories for ads and how many advertisers I had to get rid of, one at a time. I did not feel that this is what people want done to them," he wrote. "Ads and spam are bad things these days and there are no controls over them. Or transparency," he wrote in a mail.

In March,<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/musk-deletes-facebook-pages-of-tesla-spacex-after-challenged-on-twitter-36893"> Elon Musk also deleted his Facebook </a>which had millions of followers after the billionaire promised on Twitter to take down the page.&nbsp;

A Twitter user had challenged Musk to delete his Facebook when hashtag #Deletefacebook was trending.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/facebook-to-alert-indian-users-if-their-data-was-shared-with-cambridge-analytica-129432">Facebook to start telling Indian users if their data was shared with Cambridge Analytica</a>

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&nbsp;

I'd rather pay Facebook than my personal information being exploited for advertising said Steve Wozniak

Among the tech leader who are giving up on Facebook following the data breach scandal, Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple has also left the social media platform. The decision of leaving facebook came after the growing concerns of data security and how the social media platforms treat such personal user information for their advertising gains. Wozniak said to the USA today in a mail that he'd rather pay Facebook than his personal information being exploited for advertising. He further praised Apple for respecting user's privacy. "Apple makes its money off of good products, not off of you," Wozniak said. "As they say, with Facebook, you are the product", he said. Facebook came under fire for mishandling user's information as the UK based data mining firm Cambridge Analytica obtained the data through illegal measures. The company has assisted Donald Trump in his 2016 presidential election. Mark Zuckerberg had also announced that as many as 87 million Facebook user's data was compromised in the whole scandal. Wozniak has not completely deleted his account rather he just has deactivated so the no one can take the screen name of his. Before deactivating his account, Wozniak went through his setting was shocked to see the extent to which that data has been collected. "I was surprised to see how many categories for ads and how many advertisers I had to get rid of, one at a time. I did not feel that this is what people want done to them," he wrote. "Ads and spam are bad things these days and there are no controls over them. Or transparency," he wrote in a mail. In March, Elon Musk also deleted his Facebook which had millions of followers after the billionaire promised on Twitter to take down the page. A Twitter user had challenged Musk to delete his Facebook when hashtag #Deletefacebook was trending. Also read: Facebook to start telling Indian users if their data was shared with Cambridge Analytica ×

Data breach row: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak deactivates his Facebook account

Cambridge Analytica whistleblower told American media on Sunday that the data gathered from Facebook by UK based data mining firm could be stored in Russia.

While speaking to an American channel on a show, Christopher Wylie also said that a "lot of people" have access to the data.

Wylie reportedly said, "it could be stored in various parts of the world including Russia, given the fact that the professor who was was managing the data harvesting process was going back and forth between the UK to Russia".

Wylie during the interview also said that the user data obtained from 87 million users the number could be higher than what Facebook has claimed.

He further informed that he was contacted by authorities of US including the department of justice. He ensured his cooperation with them.

On the question of whether it could be known that how many people have access to this data, Wylie said that the data could have been copied several times after it left Facebook's database.

"I know that Facebook is now starting to take steps to rectify that and start to find out who had access to it and where it could have gone, but ultimately it's not watertight to say that we can ensure that all the data is gone forever," CNN quoted him as saying.

Cambridge Analytica came under fire along with social media platform Facebook after the reports that it gathered personal information of Facebook users with illegal measures.

He was referring to the Cambridge University professor Aleksander Kogan who is a Russian data scientist&nbspgathered data through apps and sold it to the company who used to it in assisting Donald Trump in 2016 presidential election.

Before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the personal data of up to 87 million users was improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica news reports had stated that 50 million users were affected due to the breach.

The data breach was mostly in the United States.

Meanwhile, the company has denied the allegations of obtaining data through illegal ways and said that it acted in appropriate ways.

 
&nbsp

While speaking to an American channel on a show, Christopher Wylie also said that a 'lot of people' have access to the data

Cambridge Analytica whistleblower told American media on Sunday that the data gathered from Facebook by UK based data mining firm could be stored in Russia. While speaking to an American channel on a show, Christopher Wylie also said that a "lot of people" have access to the data. Wylie reportedly said, "it could be stored in various parts of the world including Russia, given the fact that the professor who was was managing the data harvesting process was going back and forth between the UK to Russia". Wylie during the interview also said that the user data obtained from 87 million users the number could be higher than what Facebook has claimed. He further informed that he was contacted by authorities of US including the department of justice. He ensured his cooperation with them. On the question of whether it could be known that how many people have access to this data, Wylie said that the data could have been copied several times after it left Facebook's database. "I know that Facebook is now starting to take steps to rectify that and start to find out who had access to it and where it could have gone, but ultimately it's not watertight to say that we can ensure that all the data is gone forever," CNN quoted him as saying. Cambridge Analytica came under fire along with social media platform Facebook after the reports that it gathered personal information of Facebook users with illegal measures. He was referring to the Cambridge University professor Aleksander Kogan who is a Russian data scientist&nbspgathered data through apps and sold it to the company who used to it in assisting Donald Trump in 2016 presidential election. Before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the personal data of up to 87 million users was improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica news reports had stated that 50 million users were affected due to the breach. The data breach was mostly in the United States. Meanwhile, the company has denied the allegations of obtaining data through illegal ways and said that it acted in appropriate ways.

Facebook data breach row: Data may be stored in Russia says Christopher Wylie

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg today ruled out resigning over his company's privacy practices as he announced the formation of an independent research committee in the backdrop of the elections in countries like India, Pakistan and the US, according to a media report.

Ahead of his Congressional testimonies this week to respond to questions from lawmakers who are outraged at the data breach by the social media giant, Zuckerberg arrived in the US Capital to meet with Congressmen and Senators.

In an interview to Atlantic Magazine, Zuckerberg ruled out resigning from the post.

"No, I mean, I am. I do work on philanthropy too, separately. But, these issues are very important," he said, when asked if he has considered resigning at all.

"We have also worked on a lot of hard problems over the last 14 years in building Facebook. I mean, it started in a dorm room and now it's this unprecedented community in scale and I am very confident that we're going to be able to work through these issues," he said.

Zuckerberg would testify tomorrow before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees. The next day, he would appear before another joint hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

He has, however, refused to appear before any other foreign committee so far, including that of the UK.

Facebook has acknowledged that information of as many as 87 millions of its users were compromised in the third party data breach by UK-based Cambridge Analytica, which used the information to influence the 2016 US presidential elections for the Trump Campaign.

"Well, I certainly feel very bad, and I am sorry that we did not do a better job of finding the Russian interference during the 2016 election," Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg said he is looking for guidance everywhere to address this challenge. His company has already taken several measures to address the privacy issues.

Referring to the upcoming elections in countries across the globe, including India, Brazil, US and Pakistan, Zuckerberg announced the formation of an independent election commission for research.

"Well, I think what we need to do is be more transparent about what we're seeing and find ways to get independent and outside experts to be able to come in, and contribute ideas on how to address these issues, like things that might be problems," Zuckerberg said. "And then hold us accountable for making sure we do it,"&nbsphe said.

"Given the importance of these elections, especially 2018?with major elections in the United States, India, Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, Hungary coming up soon?we just thought that that wasn't enough,"&nbsphe said.

"That's exactly why we are trying to create this independent election commission for research because we think that getting this right for the elections starting in 2018, and after that, is just such an important thing," the Facebook CEO said.

Facebook, he said has taken two steps. First, it will require the individual owners of the largest Facebook pages to verify their names by providing the company with a copy of their government IDs. It will also make them respond to a letter in the mail.

"We will physically mail a code to where you say you are, and you have to be able to access that code that we mail to you in order to be able to run an ad,"&nbspsaid Zuckerberg.

"I think that will be quite effective at preventing someone in Russia, for example, from lying and saying that they are in the United States and able to advertise in the election here," he was quoted as saying by the report.

In a recent interview, Zuckerberg ruled out resigning from the post

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg today ruled out resigning over his company's privacy practices as he announced the formation of an independent research committee in the backdrop of the elections in countries like India, Pakistan and the US, according to a media report. Ahead of his Congressional testimonies this week to respond to questions from lawmakers who are outraged at the data breach by the social media giant, Zuckerberg arrived in the US Capital to meet with Congressmen and Senators. In an interview to Atlantic Magazine, Zuckerberg ruled out resigning from the post. "No, I mean, I am. I do work on philanthropy too, separately. But, these issues are very important," he said, when asked if he has considered resigning at all. "We have also worked on a lot of hard problems over the last 14 years in building Facebook. I mean, it started in a dorm room and now it's this unprecedented community in scale and I am very confident that we're going to be able to work through these issues," he said. Zuckerberg would testify tomorrow before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees. The next day, he would appear before another joint hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He has, however, refused to appear before any other foreign committee so far, including that of the UK. Facebook has acknowledged that information of as many as 87 millions of its users were compromised in the third party data breach by UK-based Cambridge Analytica, which used the information to influence the 2016 US presidential elections for the Trump Campaign. "Well, I certainly feel very bad, and I am sorry that we did not do a better job of finding the Russian interference during the 2016 election," Zuckerberg said. Zuckerberg said he is looking for guidance everywhere to address this challenge. His company has already taken several measures to address the privacy issues. Referring to the upcoming elections in countries across the globe, including India, Brazil, US and Pakistan, Zuckerberg announced the formation of an independent election commission for research. "Well, I think what we need to do is be more transparent about what we're seeing and find ways to get independent and outside experts to be able to come in, and contribute ideas on how to address these issues, like things that might be problems," Zuckerberg said. "And then hold us accountable for making sure we do it,"&nbsphe said. "Given the importance of these elections, especially 2018?with major elections in the United States, India, Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, Hungary coming up soon?we just thought that that wasn't enough,"&nbsphe said. "That's exactly why we are trying to create this independent election commission for research because we think that getting this right for the elections starting in 2018, and after that, is just such an important thing," the Facebook CEO said. Facebook, he said has taken two steps. First, it will require the individual owners of the largest Facebook pages to verify their names by providing the company with a copy of their government IDs. It will also make them respond to a letter in the mail. "We will physically mail a code to where you say you are, and you have to be able to access that code that we mail to you in order to be able to run an ad,"&nbspsaid Zuckerberg. "I think that will be quite effective at preventing someone in Russia, for example, from lying and saying that they are in the United States and able to advertise in the election here," he was quoted as saying by the report.

Zuckerberg rules out resigning, announces formation of research committee

Under fire globally for allowing data breach, social media giant Facebook will on Monday start alerting the 87 million users, including 562,455 in India, whose data may have been compromised as the UK-based Cambridge Analytica pilfered them through an app.

The US-based company will send a detailed message at the top of users' news feed, offering information on apps they use and the information they have shared with those apps.

It will also tell people if their information may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica, the data mining firm accused of harvesting personal information of millions of Facebook users illegally to influence polls in several countries.

"As part of this process we will also tell people if their information may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica," the company said last week.

Facebook users will also have the opportunity to use the link to delete apps and prevent them from collecting more information, CNN reported.

Also, all 2.2 billion Facebook users will receive a link to see what apps they use and what information they have shared with those apps.

Facebook says most of the affected users (more than 70 million) are in the US, though there are over a million each in the Philippines, Indonesia and the UK.

It said the total number of potentially impacted users in India (562,455 people) is 0.6 per cent of the global number of potentially affected people.&nbsp;

A Facebook spokesperson last week said privileged data of users who had downloaded the app called 'thisisyourdigitallife', developed by Dr Aleksandr Kogan, may have been compromised.

There are about 200 million Facebook users in India. Of them, "only 335 people" were directly affected through the installation of the app, while another 562,120 people were "potentially affected" as friends of those users, the spokesperson said.

"Cambridge Analytica's acquisition of Facebook data through the app developed by Dr Aleksandr Kogan and his company Global Science Research Limited (GSR) happened without our authorisation and was an explicit violation of our Platform policies," the spokesperson had said.

The past few days have seen a global outrage over the breach of user data on Facebook, forcing the company to issue an public apology.

Facebook will send a detailed message to users' news feeds, telling them which apps they use and the information that they may have shared with those apps

Under fire globally for allowing data breach, social media giant Facebook will on Monday start alerting the 87 million users, including 562,455 in India, whose data may have been compromised as the UK-based Cambridge Analytica pilfered them through an app. The US-based company will send a detailed message at the top of users' news feed, offering information on apps they use and the information they have shared with those apps. It will also tell people if their information may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica, the data mining firm accused of harvesting personal information of millions of Facebook users illegally to influence polls in several countries. "As part of this process we will also tell people if their information may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica," the company said last week. Facebook users will also have the opportunity to use the link to delete apps and prevent them from collecting more information, CNN reported. Also, all 2.2 billion Facebook users will receive a link to see what apps they use and what information they have shared with those apps. Facebook says most of the affected users (more than 70 million) are in the US, though there are over a million each in the Philippines, Indonesia and the UK. It said the total number of potentially impacted users in India (562,455 people) is 0.6 per cent of the global number of potentially affected people. A Facebook spokesperson last week said privileged data of users who had downloaded the app called 'thisisyourdigitallife', developed by Dr Aleksandr Kogan, may have been compromised. There are about 200 million Facebook users in India. Of them, "only 335 people" were directly affected through the installation of the app, while another 562,120 people were "potentially affected" as friends of those users, the spokesperson said. "Cambridge Analytica's acquisition of Facebook data through the app developed by Dr Aleksandr Kogan and his company Global Science Research Limited (GSR) happened without our authorisation and was an explicit violation of our Platform policies," the spokesperson had said. The past few days have seen a global outrage over the breach of user data on Facebook, forcing the company to issue an public apology.

Facebook to start telling Indian users if their data was shared with Cambridge Analytica

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg will hold meetings with some US&nbsplawmakers on Monday, a day before he is due to appear at Congressional hearings over a political consultancy's use of customer data, two congressional aides said on Sunday.

The planned meetings at Capitol Hill are expected to continue through Monday afternoon and include some lawmakers from committees before whom Zuckerberg is due to testify, said the aides, who asked not to be identified because the meetings have not been made public.

Facebook declined to comment.

Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear before a joint hearing of the US&nbspSenate Judiciary and Commerce committees on Tuesday and the US&nbspHouse Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday.

Facebook has come under fire in recent weeks after it said that the personal information of up to 87 million users, mostly in the United States, may have been improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

A Facebook spokesman said on Sunday that the company plans to begin telling affected users on Monday.

London-based Cambridge Analytica, which has counted US&nbspPresident Donald Trump's 2016 campaign among its clients, has disputed Facebook's estimate of the number of affected users.

Zuckerberg is expected in his testimony to recognize a need to take responsibility and acknowledge an initial failure to understand how many people were affected, a person briefed on the matter, who asked for anonymity, said on Sunday.

Zuckerberg said in a conference call with reporters last week that he accepted blame for the data leak, which has angered users, advertisers and lawmakers, while also saying he was still the right person to head the company he founded.

On Friday, Facebook backed proposed legislation requiring social media sites to disclose the identities of buyers of online political campaign ads and introduced a new verification process for people buying "issue" ads.

The steps are designed to deter the kind of election meddling and online information warfare that US&nbspauthorities have accused Russia of pursuing, Zuckerberg said on Friday. Moscow has denied the allegations.

In February, US&nbspSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies with interfering in the 2016 US&nbsppresidential election by sowing discord on social media.

Zuckerberg, on the call with reporters, said Facebook should have done more to audit and oversee third-party app developers like the one hired by Cambridge Analytica in 2014.

The planned meetings at Capitol Hill are expected to continue through Monday afternoon and include some lawmakers from committees before whom Zuckerberg is due to testify

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg will hold meetings with some US&nbsplawmakers on Monday, a day before he is due to appear at Congressional hearings over a political consultancy's use of customer data, two congressional aides said on Sunday. The planned meetings at Capitol Hill are expected to continue through Monday afternoon and include some lawmakers from committees before whom Zuckerberg is due to testify, said the aides, who asked not to be identified because the meetings have not been made public. Facebook declined to comment. Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear before a joint hearing of the US&nbspSenate Judiciary and Commerce committees on Tuesday and the US&nbspHouse Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday. Facebook has come under fire in recent weeks after it said that the personal information of up to 87 million users, mostly in the United States, may have been improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. A Facebook spokesman said on Sunday that the company plans to begin telling affected users on Monday. London-based Cambridge Analytica, which has counted US&nbspPresident Donald Trump's 2016 campaign among its clients, has disputed Facebook's estimate of the number of affected users. Zuckerberg is expected in his testimony to recognize a need to take responsibility and acknowledge an initial failure to understand how many people were affected, a person briefed on the matter, who asked for anonymity, said on Sunday. Zuckerberg said in a conference call with reporters last week that he accepted blame for the data leak, which has angered users, advertisers and lawmakers, while also saying he was still the right person to head the company he founded. On Friday, Facebook backed proposed legislation requiring social media sites to disclose the identities of buyers of online political campaign ads and introduced a new verification process for people buying "issue" ads. The steps are designed to deter the kind of election meddling and online information warfare that US&nbspauthorities have accused Russia of pursuing, Zuckerberg said on Friday. Moscow has denied the allegations. In February, US&nbspSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies with interfering in the 2016 US&nbsppresidential election by sowing discord on social media. Zuckerberg, on the call with reporters, said Facebook should have done more to audit and oversee third-party app developers like the one hired by Cambridge Analytica in 2014.

Facebook's Zuckerberg to meet with US lawmakers Monday: Reports

Facebook says it has suspended a Canadian political consulting firm amid media reports it had ties to Cambridge Analytica, a British data mining company accused of obtaining data from up to 87 million Facebook users to sway elections.

Menlo Park, California-based Facebook says in a statement issued yesterday that AggregateIQ may have improperly received data from Facebook users. AggregateIQ will lose all Facebook access.

Cambridge Analytica was employed by Donald Trump's presidential campaign. It says it received data from 30 million users but never used it in the 2016 campaign.

Whistleblowers say AggregateIQ worked on the campaign for Great Britain to exit the European Union.

AggregateIQ says on its website it isn't part of Cambridge Analytica or parent firm SCL. It says it didn't have access to Facebook data from Cambridge Analytica.&nbsp

Menlo Park, California-based Facebook says in a statement issued yesterday that AggregateIQ may have improperly received data from Facebook users

Facebook says it has suspended a Canadian political consulting firm amid media reports it had ties to Cambridge Analytica, a British data mining company accused of obtaining data from up to 87 million Facebook users to sway elections. Menlo Park, California-based Facebook says in a statement issued yesterday that AggregateIQ may have improperly received data from Facebook users. AggregateIQ will lose all Facebook access. Cambridge Analytica was employed by Donald Trump's presidential campaign. It says it received data from 30 million users but never used it in the 2016 campaign. Whistleblowers say AggregateIQ worked on the campaign for Great Britain to exit the European Union. AggregateIQ says on its website it isn't part of Cambridge Analytica or parent firm SCL. It says it didn't have access to Facebook data from Cambridge Analytica.

Facebook suspends Canadian firm amid data mining scandal

Facebook-owned WhatsApp today refuted reports that it is keeping track of the messages and said that it collects very little data and every message is end-to-end encrypted. 
 
WhatsApp was responding to concerns by experts that the popular instant messaging service with over 200-million active users in India might not be as secure as being claimed. Questions were also being raised over certain provisions of the user agreement wherein most of its wrongdoings would go un-remedied and un-challenged. 
 
WhatsApp collects very little data and every message is end-to-end encrypted. Contrary to recent comments in the media, we are not keeping track of the friends and family you have messaged, a WhatsApp spokesperson told PTI. 
 
"The privacy and security of our users is incredibly important to WhatsApp. Invite links are an optional feature available to group administrators to be used only with trusted individuals", the spokesperson told PTI in response to a question. 
 
The popular messaging platform, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014, has one billion users globally and is one of the most popular mediums of instant messaging in India. 
In the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, WhatsApp has come under attack from critics. 
 
"One-to-one communication between users are encrypted and may be as secure as WhatsApp claims. But the metadata, information about the calls, is likely being mined by the company," Vivek Wadhwa, a top American technology entrepreneur and academic, told PTI a day earlier. 
 
"WhatsApp has admitted that it is sharing information about identity and device information with Facebook, allowing it to do the dirty work in snooping on users", he said. 
 
Wadhwa said that the group chat feature of WhatsApp puts users at greater threat than their postings on Facebook because of the availability of mobile phone numbers.

Noting that almost one-quarter or more of the world's population is using WhatApp for free, eminent New York-based attorney Ravi Batra said that it makes money by harvesting user data and using it in conjunction with others including Facebook. 
 
He further said, "There is an old saying: There is no free lunch. Yet, there is a new brave digital world - that is free to use, and the costs and profit of providing the free services must come from 'mining' the habits and data connected to each user."

WhatsApp was responding to concerns by experts that the popular instant messaging service with over 200-million active users in India might not be as secure as being claimed

Facebook-owned WhatsApp today refuted reports that it is keeping track of the messages and said that it collects very little data and every message is end-to-end encrypted. WhatsApp was responding to concerns by experts that the popular instant messaging service with over 200-million active users in India might not be as secure as being claimed. Questions were also being raised over certain provisions of the user agreement wherein most of its wrongdoings would go un-remedied and un-challenged. WhatsApp collects very little data and every message is end-to-end encrypted. Contrary to recent comments in the media, we are not keeping track of the friends and family you have messaged, a WhatsApp spokesperson told PTI. "The privacy and security of our users is incredibly important to WhatsApp. Invite links are an optional feature available to group administrators to be used only with trusted individuals", the spokesperson told PTI in response to a question. The popular messaging platform, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014, has one billion users globally and is one of the most popular mediums of instant messaging in India. In the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, WhatsApp has come under attack from critics. "One-to-one communication between users are encrypted and may be as secure as WhatsApp claims. But the metadata, information about the calls, is likely being mined by the company," Vivek Wadhwa, a top American technology entrepreneur and academic, told PTI a day earlier. "WhatsApp has admitted that it is sharing information about identity and device information with Facebook, allowing it to do the dirty work in snooping on users", he said. Wadhwa said that the group chat feature of WhatsApp puts users at greater threat than their postings on Facebook because of the availability of mobile phone numbers. Noting that almost one-quarter or more of the world's population is using WhatApp for free, eminent New York-based attorney Ravi Batra said that it makes money by harvesting user data and using it in conjunction with others including Facebook. He further said, "There is an old saying: There is no free lunch. Yet, there is a new brave digital world - that is free to use, and the costs and profit of providing the free services must come from 'mining' the habits and data connected to each user."

WhatsApp says it collects very little data and every message is end to end encrypted

Social media giant Facebook is planning to launch an&nbsp;unsend a message feature like Whatsapp for Facebook messenger as well.

The new feature will take several months to launch.

Facebook made the announcement after there were reports that Facebook has retracted Facebook messages sent by its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.

Few other executives of the organization's messages were also reportedly retracted from the recipients' inboxes.

After which the company announced that no more messages of Zuckerberg will be retracted until the features get available for all users.

The retraction of Zuckerburg's messages has reportedly struck many Facebook users as a violation of trust with Facebook.

According to a report by tech blog, 'Techcrunch' users will have an option of sending their messages by setting a specific expiration time of the sent message and the time will run out the message will automatically be the chat thread.

Though this is just an initial plan for the feature. The company may build another way to unsend their messages from the messenger.

Another subsidiary of Facebook, an instant messaging app Whatsapp has this unsend message feature from November 2017.

Whatsapp users can delete their sent texts by going to 'delete for me only' option.

The new feature will take several months to launch

Social media giant Facebook is planning to launch an unsend a message feature like Whatsapp for Facebook messenger as well. The new feature will take several months to launch. Facebook made the announcement after there were reports that Facebook has retracted Facebook messages sent by its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Few other executives of the organization's messages were also reportedly retracted from the recipients' inboxes. After which the company announced that no more messages of Zuckerberg will be retracted until the features get available for all users. The retraction of Zuckerburg's messages has reportedly struck many Facebook users as a violation of trust with Facebook. According to a report by tech blog, 'Techcrunch' users will have an option of sending their messages by setting a specific expiration time of the sent message and the time will run out the message will automatically be the chat thread. Though this is just an initial plan for the feature. The company may build another way to unsend their messages from the messenger. Another subsidiary of Facebook, an instant messaging app Whatsapp has this unsend message feature from November 2017. Whatsapp users can delete their sent texts by going to 'delete for me only' option.

After secretly deleting Zuckerberg's messages, Facebook to launch unsend a message feature for everyone

In a recent revelation in the Facebook data sharing scandal, the social networking giant&nbsp;admitted that it has "discussed sharing user data"&nbsp;and "patient data"&nbsp;for a research project.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/87-million-user-data-improperly-shared-with-cambridge-analytica-facebook-128399">87 million user data 'improperly shared' with Cambridge Analytica says Facebook</a>

The revelation was made in a news report published by the US daily on Thursday.&nbsp;

The plan included both hospital and the social media company&nbsp;sharing data. The proposed plan also included using a process to match for individuals in both sets to prove how sharing information could improve patient care.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/facebook-data-leak-details-of-over-56-lakh-indian-users-may-have-been-shared-with-cambridge-analytica-128439">Over 5.6 lakh Indian users' details </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/facebook-data-leak-details-of-over-56-lakh-indian-users-may-have-been-shared-with-cambridge-analytica-128439">may've</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/facebook-data-leak-details-of-over-56-lakh-indian-users-may-have-been-shared-with-cambridge-analytica-128439"> been shared with Cambridge Analytica</a>

According to news reports, American College of Cardiology and Stanford University School of Medicine were among the medical institutions with whom the project was discussed.

However, the project was put on hold in March and Facebook did not share or analyze&nbsp;any user&nbsp;data.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/facebooks-major-focus-polls-in-india-us-pakistan-zuckerberg-128436">Facebook's major focus polls in India, US, Pakistan said Zuckerberg</a>

“This work has not progressed past the planning phase, and we have not received, shared, or analyzed anyone’s data,” &nbsp;Guardian reported Facebook's spokesperson as saying.

Meanwhile, as widely reported Facebook CEO <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/mark-zuckerberg-to-testify-before-us-house-commerce-panel-on-april-11-128323">Mark Zuckerberg will testify</a> before the US House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11.

Facebook has come under fire in recent weeks after reports that the personal data of over 80 million users of the website fell into the hands of a political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica that worked for US President Donald Trump's campaign.

In a blog post on Thursday, the company admitted that it might have "inappropriately"&nbsp;shared information regarding Indian users to Cambridge Analytica.

US-based&nbsp;social networking company is also facing fine of $33 million by Brazil&nbsp;after failing to give authorities access to messages as part of a health fraud investigation.

The proposed plan also included using a process to match for individuals in both sets to prove that how sharing information could improve patient care.

In a recent revelation in the Facebook data sharing scandal, the social networking giant admitted that it has "discussed sharing user data" and "patient data" for a research project. Also read: 87 million user data 'improperly shared' with Cambridge Analytica says Facebook The revelation was made in a news report published by the US daily on Thursday. The plan included both hospital and the social media company sharing data. The proposed plan also included using a process to match for individuals in both sets to prove how sharing information could improve patient care. Also read: Over 5.6 lakh Indian users' details may've been shared with Cambridge Analytica According to news reports, American College of Cardiology and Stanford University School of Medicine were among the medical institutions with whom the project was discussed. However, the project was put on hold in March and Facebook did not share or analyze any user data. Also read: Facebook's major focus polls in India, US, Pakistan said Zuckerberg “This work has not progressed past the planning phase, and we have not received, shared, or analyzed anyone’s data,” Guardian reported Facebook's spokesperson as saying. Meanwhile, as widely reported Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify before the US House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11. Facebook has come under fire in recent weeks after reports that the personal data of over 80 million users of the website fell into the hands of a political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica that worked for US President Donald Trump's campaign. In a blog post on Thursday, the company admitted that it might have "inappropriately" shared information regarding Indian users to Cambridge Analytica. US-based social networking company is also facing fine of $33 million by Brazil after failing to give authorities access to messages as part of a health fraud investigation.

Facebook discussed sharing user data for medical project: Report

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